Dimensional Exchanges
by XyoushaX
Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? COMPLETE
1. Dreams and Visions

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This story centers on Sakura, and will later be AU. No pairings. (Unless the readers want it to be, but if any they will come much later.)

I'm kind of taking this idea of Sakura falling into another world from Serpentine Rose. Her "Kamikaze Inn" and "Three of Fates" were so damn good, and it was such a shame that she discontinued them. I honor you, Serpentine Rose-san, and please don't get mad at me! I'm just fascinated with watching Sakura growing up, and I PROMISE that this story's plot will be my own.

It is slight AU, and a slight crossover with Wedding Peach, but it won't hinder the story for those who aren't familiar with the series. (For those who are, you must be thinking, "What the hell...?") This is my first fic. This is just for FUN, and I'm doing this to improve my less-than-professional writing skills.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 1: Dreams and Visions

* * *

It was a normal day in Konoha. Three kids and a teacher perched on a bridge, waiting.

The boy with blond spikes and the fox face stood motionless, with the exception of his foot tapping. A brunette with her hair in buns chucked shuriken and various other lethal projectiles at a tall, dark-haired jounin, who stealthily dodged all. The pink-haired girl was sitting on a nearby bench, clamping her hands so hard on its edge that her nails dug into the wood.

**'I ought to strangle that jounin when he arrives,"** Sakura thought in fury.** 'SHAAANAROOO!'**

An easy-going voice echoed from above. "Good morning, everybody!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Ten Ten screamed together. Sakura was only seething.

Gai was dramatic, as usual. "Eternal rival, the one thing in which I always beat you is punctuality, and that is hardly an accomplishment!"

Kakashi had a small smile under his mask. "Well, you see, I had to save a poor little kid from a group of bullies—"

"Never mind whatever excuse you came up with, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura intoned rather coldly. "The mission must be important if both you and Gai-sensei are required to supervise us."

The silver-haired jounin glanced at her briefly, before showing Gai the plans. Their double-team group was a rare occurrence.

Sakura pulled a hand through her hair, frustrated. Her attitude had gotten rather frosty in the past couple of months. And it was not just because Inner Sakura had been repressed for so long.

She had been dreaming the strangest dreams. They had shown people — yet not people, for they were too god-like. The individuals were visions, clad in gold, silver, pastels, and white. Everything the exact opposite of what a shinobi would wear in this world.

Sakura attempted to forget the images. It was supposed to be easy, as almost all dreams would be forgotten. But ironically, her logic made her think of them more. It was odd that night after night, she would see people in white clothing. Looks like purity, or death, people in this culture would say. The daimyō would be ashamed to wear such regalia instead of richly-dyed kimonos and gold-tipped ornaments.

And more bizarre were the figures with wings sprouting from their backs. The closest humanoid being with wings that Sakura knew of, or at least had read of, was a tengu. Not that she believed in them, but it was odd that her dreams would come up with something slightly different.

And then the other people: they were clad in darker and even eccentric styles, and they had various auras burning, bubbling, or just vibrating out from themselves. A few had wings, but they were those of bats rather than of doves. The dark beings were as beautiful as their heavenly counterparts, but their looks screamed blood, murder, and seduction rather than a pure radiance.

**'It's the same dream that has fucking repeated itself every night for months!'**

She didn't like it, either. Sakura would nightly see the two peoples, or races, or whatever they were, make war. She saw details that woke her up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath. The blood, the screams, the tears... If she could have compared the dreams to anything in her own life, it would have been Haku's bloody demise, replayed a thousand times over. She was restless in her sleep, and when things really turned gruesome, she would jerk awake and retch a little into the cup of water she kept beside her bed.

**'I'm going crazy!'**

The Inner Sakura screamed her back to the present. Naruto and Tenten flanked her. She looked up, and Gai and Kakashi were still arguing. Or rather, Gai was ranting at him, and Kakashi was reading his book. 'Maybe I ought to tell Tsunade-sama about my sleep. Seeing one dream in repetition is unnatural.' She shivered as she heard Inner Sakura scream. 'Am I really schizophrenic?'

The unusual team combination was due to various circumstances. Lee was hospitalized for the time being. Neji was busy. But Naruto had stopped by, so he and Tenten slipped together with Sakura for missions this week. Needless to say, Tenten wasn't too happy with Kakashi's easy-going attitude when it came to schedules and choice of literature. It couldn't be helped, though; the organization of the Rookie 9 teams was haywire, even long after Sasuke's departure.

Tsunade had become Sakura's tutor after Sasuke had left the village six months ago. With Sakura's impeccable chakra control, she easily learned the fine techniques needed to disinfect and bind together heavy battle wounds — well, not easily, but she learned more quickly than average.

The only problem was that she needed more practice.

Yet Sakura was determined to make herself useful. She trained under Kakashi and Gai to improve her stamina and chakra reserves whenever Tsunade was too busy with paperwork. Kakashi even gave Sakura two weights like the ones Lee used, instead of the twelve which Gai highly recommended.

(( "Sakura, you have potential, but breaking your ankles on the first day won't help advance your taijutsu."

A vein emerged from Gai's clenched fist. "Kakashi, if you're going to comment on my teaching skills, say it to my face!"

Kakashi blinked, turning to Gai. "Huh? Did you say something?"))

Sakura was a bit uncomfortable with the advanced taijutsu. The first two weeks had been complete hell; even walking down a flight of stairs sent pain to her leg muscles. But eventually, her body adjusted. And Sakura learned that with more chakra, sturdier joints, and long training, she might one day be able to make as powerful blows as Tsunade by slipping in chakra into her muscles.

With Naruto and Lee as her role models, and training day-in-day-out, she slowly became a stronger and more confident fighter. The two former "drop-outs" became her best friends. And Sakura made up with Ino, considering Sasuke wasn't around to compete for anymore.

Ino and the many other fangirls were sad of his betrayal to the Leaf. In contrast, Sakura now was rather impassive about Sasuke. On the one hand, she could not have cared less if he died for revenge. He was a heartless bastard.

(( "I... I love you with all my heart!

"You really are annoying." ))

Whenever she recalled that night, she wanted to disappear. How could she get so desperate? How damn embarrassing.

On the other hand, she felt so... sorry for him. His path for revenge would bring him no happiness. He knew it; she knew it. To top that off, those nightmares showed her the slaughter of a people she didn't know of, while Sasuke had seen it happen to his own family as a child. He didn't deserve that. No child deserved that.

And she also thought it strange: even with that personal history, and that cold attitude, Sasuke had sometimes shown a bit of feeling to his teammates.

(( "Sakura... thank you. " ))

* * *

The mission, which had involved taking back a few stolen scrolls, had turned out amazingly smooth for having the loudest and most hyperactive ninja of the Hidden Leaf. Naruto had fallen out of a tree, just while Sakura was about to put the thieves into a sleep genjutsu. Ironically, because of Naruto's ridiculous and un-ninja-like entrance, the enemy ninja watched him drop without noticing the floating flower petals above. The few who recognized the drowsy feeling as a genjutsu were about to perform the canceling seal, but Tenten threw acupuncture needles in the right places to knock them out. Soon, all of them were unconscious, and the team merely took the scrolls and skedaddled. While Kakashi told Naruto that he needed to work on his stealth, Gai interpreted the whole day as an experience of youth.

"Tadaima!" Sakura called out as she opened the front door to her house.

No response. Nobody was home.

She found a note on the refrigerator from her parents.

-Sakura, we're on a B-rank mission. You can help yourself to anything in the fridge.-

The pink-haired girl sighed. She set a pot full of water to boil for heating a package of curry. Some minutes later, she popped a bowl of leftover rice into the microwave.

Sakura ended up plopping herself down onto the sofa, mixing her dinner. One spoonful, and she grinned with pain and pleasure. Although she generally hated spicy food, there was a certain zing from medium-spiced curry that she had grown to love.

She read a scroll while she ate. She had only recently picked up her old bookish habits, and soon gained interested in deciphering ancient texts.

She noticed a dust-covered box on the table across the living room.

Sakura continued her dinner, ignoring the new presence. It was just an old box from storage.

After finishing her dinner and doing the dishes, her eyes went back to it. She sat back on the sofa, and continued reading. She then noticed a slip of paper.

Sakura neatly rolled her scroll up, set it aside, and examined the note.

-Dear Sakura,

I was cleaning out the attic and found things from your very early childhood. This box has are mementos of your first year with us. I thought you might want to look through them.

Love, your Mom-

Sakura opened the box and peered inside. Most of the stuff was composed of cards, baby trinkets, and other odd commodities. **'What a pile of junk!'**

But one thing caught her eye: a brooch.

It was very beautiful. It was a carving of a cherry blossom. It was a sort of pink jade, laden within a golden back.

Sakura turned it around, examining it. 'Why would I have needed a brooch as a baby?' The jewel was too angular, looked expensive, and was even dangerous for a creature willing to chew anything smaller than a coin. Furthermore, Sakura's parents were not particularly rich; neither came from a prestigious clan like the Uchiha or Hyuuga.

The exotic piece of artwork in Sakura's hand, looked as if should have been pinned on a daimyo's wife, or protected in a museum.

As Sakura held the brooch in her palm, she felt an unusual sensation. It felt increasingly warm. She heard two distinct voices.

(( "Please take my daughter! It's too dangerous here!"

"That would require a dimensional jump. You may never see her again." ))

Sakura clutched her head. There was increasing pain. She saw white.

(( "I want her to live! I LOVE HER!" ))

The brooch clinked on the hardwood floor. The sound made Sakura snap back to the present.

'What the hell was that?'

Sakura pushed away the tattered container, and stomped upstairs to her room, not noticing the jewel giving off a faint glow as it lay on the carpet.

* * *

Notes:

"Tadaima" is a greeting one always uses when one arrives home to one's family. It is often translated as "I'm home", but it's literal translation is "I just came back", so it's a very personal greeting.


	2. Falling In

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic will later be AU, and centers on Sakura. I don't know of any pairing yet. I love sasusaku, though :)

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Ch. 2: Falling In

* * *

"Takurou, are you sure this thing will work?" Hinagiku asked. Her light-green hair was cut short, and her angel battle uniform hugged tightly on her.

"Well, not 100%, but it's a high probability," Takurou answered. Takurou wore the regular lab-coat of a scientist, and had his black hair tied back in a ponytail. He always wore the white garb, even when sitting at computers, as he was into chemistry as well as space-time physics. "Sakura's brooch was the warping device itself, and for just a brief moment, she made physical contact with it. If she does that again long enough, we can make an intergalactic communications link with a wormhole and then use the remaining power in the device to make a full transfer!"

Hinagiku blinked at her husband.

Takurou sighed. "It means that she touched the brooch once, and if she does it again, we can bring her back."

The resulting hug knocked the wind out of him.

"Really! Oh my gawd Momoko and Yousuke will be so pleased I love you I love you I love you—!"

Takurou didn't move for a while. He didn't want to get away from his wife's bosom (not so soon, anyway). Oxygen eventually was needed, though, and she heard a muffled, "mmmm, Hina-chan!"

"Hmmm, Takurou?"

"Air!" gasped the scientist. A dot showed up on his monitor. "Hey, we've got another connection — get Yousuke-san and Momoko-san, now!"

* * *

Sakura threw a punch. It was blocked. With her arm in a lock, she performed a roundhouse kick in the air, which Lee dodged and caught with his right hand. He gave a light grimace, more of sympathy than of pain.

"Sakura-san, that was too predicta—"

Lee was cut off when her other leg wrapped around his neck into a very suggestive position, and her remaining free limb punched him in his forehead. He looked a little stunned. The two tumbled down together. **'SCORE! I actually landed a hit on him for the first time, SHANNAROOO!'**

Naruto watched from afar, his mouth hanging open at the blatant sexuality his childhood crush had performed on Fuzzy-brows. "Sakura-chan, how could you!" the aghast teen exclaimed. "You literally wrapped your legs around him! The only reason you hit him was because he was too shocked from your... ah... moves!"

Lee was lying on his back. A faint trickle of blood was leaving his nose. He did not feel like speaking at the moment.

"Hey, I got him, didn't I?" Sakura sat on top of Lee. Dirt and a mischievous grin were plastered on her face. "Naruto, you have to know that women aren't as helpless as they seem," Sakura lectured. "As Kunoichi Saying 201 goes: 'Women use sex to get what they want. Men give women what they want, because sex is what they want.'"

Lee's nosebleed turned two-fold, and he passed out. Naruto looked at Sakura in horror. 'I wonder if Hinata knows that stuff too...' The blond tried to imagine the odd, awkward girl seducing a guy. 'I feel violated already with Sakura-chan just talking!'

Sakura looked sympathetically at the unconscious martial artist underneath her. It was probably his first time getting hit on, if one could count it as that. "Oh, my... Lee-san, I'm sorry."

Naruto pouted. "You just used whatever resources you had to your own advantage."

"That's exactly what any ninja does, idiot," Sakura replied. "Besides, that tactic is practically the same as your Sexy-no-jutsu!" **'You were a genius when you came up with that! Or just really stupid!'**

There was an uncomfortable silence. Naruto fidgeted. "Sakura-chan, you're not really... having..."

"Huh?" Sakura asked as she checked Lee. "OH! Oh, no, no. But just to warn you before you encounter a kunoichi."

"Thanks," Naruto replied hesitantly. A glint caught his eye. "Sakura-chan, what's that?" He pointed at her collar.

"Oh, this?" Sakura pointed at the jewel. "It's just something my parents found in the attic and passed down to me."

Naruto's stomach gave a jolt. It was Kyuubi. 'Stupid fox, what is it?' Naruto mentally asked the imprisoned demon.

**'There's great chakra coming this way.'** Kyuubi's voice hissed. **'It's strong. And I have no idea what it is. Take your friends if you want, but just run from this place!'** When Naruto remained frozen, the demon roared in the shinobi's mind. **'NOW, BOY! Or we'll **_**both**_** die!'**

Amidst the fearsome scream, there was a sliver of panic flickering in the demon's chakra. Naruto didn't need a telling twice. If the Kyuubi told him he was in danger, it was pretty serious danger at that.

Naruto lifted Rock Lee and put him on his shoulder. "Sakura-chan, we have to get away from here," he hissed, "C'mon!" Naruto started to run back to the village.

A startled Sakura followed suit. Unbeknownst to her, the pink brooch on her collar glowed. "Naruto, what the hell is it all of a sudden!" Sakura yelled.

"Something's headed this way!" Naruto said. "I... Something inside me feels it!"

**'Boy, it is getting closer! I have the feeling it is following us!' **The demonic voice echoed in Naruto's mind. **'Keep your eyes on what the heavens bring!'**

"Damn, we have to go away from the village." Naruto made a ninety-degree angle.

Sakura was totally confused. She trusted Naruto's intuitions — his senses were honed a lot better than the average person — but what was he so scared about that he had to _run_?

"It's getting closer." Naruto glanced upward. "There's something coming from the sky."

Sakura frowned. "Sky? You mean, like a meteoroid or something?"

"There's strong chakra coming from it, so it's can't be a non-living thing like a meteoroid," Naruto said. "Oh, crap." He had nearly forgotten that he had Lee slung over his back, and now his legs were tired already.

Lee suddenly sprang off. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, now I can handle myself!" He had heard enough of the conversation to know of a sudden possible attack, and began jumping through the trees with Naruto and Sakura.

"Awesome recovery, Lee-san!" Sakura called out.

* * *

A pink-haired woman stood in the computer room. Her legs were shaking slightly.

"So which world is Sakura at?" Momoko asked. She was very nervous. She was happy and relieved that daughter was still alive in another dimension. But how would she react? Not only to a demon coming into their world to fetch her, but also to the fact that her own blood was not entirely human?

They only had 10 minutes before the wormhole closed up.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's ruled by ninja." Takurou watched the flicking green light get closer and closer to the white light. "He's nearly there to pick her up."

"That doesn't help." Scarlett, the red-haired beauty, frowned with irritation. "We don't even know how powerful they are. Even if Fuuma-kun can control all his demonic power, who knows what kind of ninja are over there. Look at Potamos — before we killed her it was almost impossible to hit her because of her water clones!" The redhead huffed, and added, "I still can't believe you resurrected her."

"We needed her support when that group of fire-demons rebelled," Hinagiku said. "Her battle strategies were just as bloody as yours during the great war between Angels and Demons, Scarlett."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes in response.

"Hinagiku, Scarlett, that's enough," Momoko said in her leadership voice. "Our main objective here is to get my daughter back."

* * *

A sparkle appeared directly above the three genin. It disappeared. Then it reappeared, but this time with more force.

"Shit!" Sakura yelled out. The light was getting closer to them, for heaven's sakes! It was clearly aiming towards them.

A burst of air hit the area. Several trees were uprooted. The explosion knocked all three of them from their feet. Naruto and Lee were thrown into a stone wall at the side of a mountain. Sakura flew into a tree, her back hitting it violently.

Sakura felt something warm and wet oozing down her neck. She opened her emerald eyes.

A man floated from of the crater. He had dark-brown hair and hazel eyes. The physical qualities were human, but his appearance and aura touched on the demonic flavor: red face paint, green armor, black clothing, and an amazing quantity of dark-green chakra. Sakura struggled to get up as the being took a glance at the two unconscious boys.

His eyes then fell upon her.

The pink-haired girl was awake, but not by much. She saw the demon swiftly walk towards her. 'Oh no; I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die —'

"Sakura... is that you?" the demon asked.

Sakura's eyes widened from surprise and fear. She somehow found her own voice. "How the hell do you know my name?" Sakura spat. She was dizzy and confused.

The demon's eyes turned soft and gentle. "It definitely is you. Pink hair like your mother, and the green eyes. You have the brooch, too." The dark being reached down, and began to pick her up her limp form.

"Wha... what the hell do you think you're doing, bastard! Put me down! Leave me alone!" Sakura tried to reach for a weapon, hit him, anything. But she felt so weak, powerless. It was then when she lost consciousness.

'Four minutes left,' the demon thought. 'Teleport, engaged.'

The demon and the girl turned into a beam of light, and shot up into the sky.


	3. The Fall, the Landing, and the Fleeing

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU, and centers on Sakura. No pairings (unless the readers want it to be, but only once all the main characters are introduced).

This chapter officially makes the story an AU, as Sakura is going to a different world (even though all fanfiction is AU), and a very obvious crossover with Wedding Peach with this coming chapter. Again, do not despair if you don't know the series! Again, this is just for fun, and I'm doing this to improve my less-than-professional writing skills.

All hail, Serpentine Rose!

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 3: The Fall, the Landing, and the Fleeing

* * *

Sakura moaned. "This must be what a hangover is like," she grumbled. "Shit."

"Your language is just as bad as mine," someone said with a chuckle. "Good girl!"

Sakura recognized the voice: it was the demon just a minute ago. She whipped out a kunai and slashed at his neck.

"Hey! Young lady, put that _down_!" he yelled out.

'Damn, he dodged,' Sakura thought. She jumped away from him and put the kunai in her holster. Her hands started performing the seals for a jutsu.

The kunoichi stopped halfway through the sequence. Something was wrong.

There was no chakra flowing through her hands.

She suddenly felt numb. She was even more helpless than when Naruto and Sasuke both had been around. Moreover, she was standing in a gray wasteland. With a demon, who just so happened to come along and kidnap her. 'No, this can't be happening. This is a dream, a dream...'

"Okay, you stopped," the brown-haired demon said. "I don't know what you're doing, but it looked like those special hand-seals some beings use for magic. And you also realize that you can't use them in your present state."

Sakura's eyes were bright, but her folded hands were shaking. If this demon wanted to simply kill her, he would have already done it by now. Was he some sick pervert who liked to torture his victims by mocking their weaknesses?

His brown eyes looked sincere, down-to-earth. "I am not here to kill you," he said, "nor hurt you in anyway. I am here to help you. CALM DOWN."

**'Help? And 'Calm down,' he says! Easy for him to say!'**

After breathing heavily and glaring at him for about ten seconds, Sakura decided she had nothing to do but trust the man. If he was trying to torture her, she knew exactly how to kill herself quickly. She had completely memorized the scrolls on anatomy which Tsunade had lent her. Sakura sighed. "Okay. Fine." Another surge of pain went through her head. "Ow!" She touched the back of her head, and then realized there was a bandage wound around her skull. Her mouth opened with surprise.

The demon grinned. "We'll get you a real doctor to handle your injury once we get back to the hospital-shrine. But for now, my knowledge of First Aid will have to do." He put the kit under his one shoulder pad. "Unfortunately, we landed in this area of all places. The Dead Zone."

Sakura shivered. "Dead Zone? You mean it's uninhabitable for organisms?"

"Not exactly," the demon replied nonchalantly. "It's just that any living creature is dead once it enters here."

"How fitting and comforting," Sakura said with a deadpan voice.

"We're a couple hours' walk away from the border, and from there we can rush you to the hospital-shrine," said the demon. "We'd better start walking now; I myself cannot last three days here without traveling companions. Can you walk for a few hours?"

Sakura growled. "I am _not_ deadweight, if that's what you imply. I had enough of that shit at home." Her inner self definitely got the better of her when she was reminded of past experiences.

"Good." He turned his head. "Because we have company."

Sakura saw what he was looking at. A little red mountain seemed to be moving toward them. But as it came closer, Sakura saw that it wasn't exactly a uniform mass. It was a swarm of human-shaped blobs, screaming like banshees.

"Get the biggest weapons you have, and slice them if they get too close," the demon said. "We're running, now!" He created a green ball of swirling chakra in his hand, and threw it at the blood-red creatures. "Demon Breeze!" Half of the creatures fell back with the burst of air.

The demon threw a compass at Sakura as they dashed off. "Sakura, catch — we need to go south-south-west exactly!" He concentrated: a massive sword materialized in his hand. "I'll catch up with you in a second," he called to Sakura. He stopped, turned around, and powered his sword up.

"Fuuma-Zoku Ryuu: Kaze no Mapputatsu!" (Fuuma-clan Style: Wind Cleave)

A blade of wind hurled toward the mass, and the creatures were horizontally sliced in two. Sakura was relieved that this demon protecting her had such immense chakra. But fear returned as she saw the puddles of muck slide back together and continue to chase them.

The demon caught up with Sakura. "That was just to slow them down," he said, panting. "Hey, have you anything useful that doesn't need magic?"

Sakura stick a hand down her fishnet undershirt, and pulled out a bag. She opened it and pinched a few black, innocent-looking beads. She threw them at the creatures. The Kanshaku-dama exploded, and the mass broke like a water balloon.

Again, the ooze collected itself back together and kept going, the faces screaming.

"What are those things!" Sakura yelled out, a note of panic in her voice. "Are they immortal?"

"They can't really die because they're not alive to begin with," the demon explained sheepishly. "But once we cross the border, we're safe."

"Didn't you just say that it was a couple hour's walk!" Sakura panted out in frustration. "We won't last that long running, either!"

"You're right. That's why we're going across the fissure that's coming up. The fissure itself is at least a mile deep and thousands of kilometers long; you can't go around it. Those blobs won't be able to make the hundred meters needed to jump across."

"Excuse me!" Sakura snarled. "I can't jump a hundred meters! I _might_ if I had my chakra back, but now I only have normal stamina. I don't feel like falling down a cliff chased by liquid zombies, thank you very much!"

"Who says we're jumping?" The demon set loose another Kaze no Mapputatsu behind them.

"Huh?"

They reached the fissure. Sakura stopped and looked into the earth crack. Yup, definitely a death-drop.

"Now what!" Sakura exclaimed.

The demon grabbed her waist, and hoisted her over his back. "Now we fly."

He jumped off the edge, and ran — on the air. Sakura didn't have Sharingan or Byakugan, but the swirling of dust below them showed that there was a hell a lot of chakra supporting them. She couldn't speak. Sakura wasn't acrophobic, but she sure wanted to throw up.

The first half of the red swarm poured into the fissure, while the trailing end stopped just at the edge. They shrieked, furious with the loss of their prey.

"Whew!" The wind-demon let Sakura down on wonderfully solid ground.

Sakura managed to find her voice again. "How... did you..."

"Not now, Sakura." He gazed at the horizon. There was a figure walking towards them. "Who is it?" he called out.

The figure became more distinct. He had long, light blue hair and was dressed like an Arabian jinn. His blue aura seemed to grow larger with every step. Sakura decided that he was a very pissed-off demon.

"So, Viento. You brought her back," the other demon said in a low tone.

'Viento... so that's his name,' Sakura thought. 'It sounds even weirder than Rock Lee.'

"Yes," Sakura's captor replied. "It was the only chance we had. You don't seem very happy about it, Din."

Din's eyes flared. "You know, Viento, I've been patient with your existence for quite a while. We still considered you a full-fledged demon, even with your certain... ancestry. Even so, you turned on us, by helping the enemy."

"I never asked to be a part of it," Viento said coldly. "As for the 'enemy', the whole war turned out to be a huge misunderstanding. Don't dwell in the past. The demons have regained their natural lands, and there is peace between angels and demons."

"You disgust me," Din hissed. "I can forgive your past actions, but the blood of our ancestors scream for revenge. And humans like her," — he pointed an accusing finger at Sakura — "are not even supposed to _exist_ on this plane! Just like you! I ought to kill you, here and now, for bringing her back; her very being is an insult to our fathers. She should have been left over in the other dimension!"

Anger boiled in Viento. "Din, I don't care what you think!" he yelled. "She is under my protection!"

"Enough!" Din snapped. "Listen, Viento," he continued in a low voice. "I am going to let you off. I am not going to kill you. But if I ever see her again, alone, I WILL kill her. Otherwise, I cannot call myself a demon." A whisp of blue smoke surrounded the blue-haired Din, and it formed into a cloud. He seated himself on it and flew into the sky.

Sakura had been clutching Viento's cloak throughout the entire conversation. Her existence...an insult to demons? In this world? Nothing made sense to her whatsoever.

"Didn't even offer us a ride," Viento scoffed. "What an ass, going on about blood. Oh, well. C'mon, we have to get going."

Sakura fell to her knees. Her head was starting to pound again.

"Sakura?" Viento crouched down, holding her shoulders.

Sakura looked at his hazel eyes. Viento's image turned double. Then quadruple.

"Viento, I..." she moaned, "I want to go home."

She fainted again.


	4. Of Angels and Demons

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU, and centers on Sakura.

There are some major spoilers from now on about the Wedding Peach series, but it's necessary to explain Sakura's origins. Remember, this is AU!

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 4: Of Angels and Demons

* * *

Momoko could have passed out. "He brought her back," the pink-haired woman whispered. "Our daughter is back..."

"Five seconds before the wormhole closed," Scarlett muttered. "And they fell into the Dead Zone. I suppose it's a good thing you sent Fuuma."

Fuuma Yousuke, otherwise known as 'Viento', entered the room.

"Fuuma-kun, I must say that I am quite impressed," Scarlett said. It was very rare of Scarlett to give compliments to anybody, least of all to a half-demon.

"Thank you, Scarlett-san." He turned to Momoko. "Momo-P, she just fainted while we were in the Dead Zone. The doctor said we can enter her room. They bandaged up her head, and she's resting now."

Momoko trembled. "Um... I guess... we should go see her then..."

Sakura lay in a hospital bed, sleeping. Her face was serene and expressionless. The door opened. Momoko and Yousuke entered.

Momoko swallowed a lump in her throat as she gripped her husband's arm. Yousuke hadn't seen Momoko this nervous, not even in a battle. He led her to a chair next to the bed. She gratefully plopped down on it.

Momoko's voice quavered. "Sakura... my own daughter." Her hand slowly went towards Sakura's face, as if Sakura were too fragile and precious to be touched. Momoko pushed away a few strands obscuring the girl's face.

"She has your hair and your looks," Yousuke whispered as he hugged Momoko's shoulders.

"She'd be thirteen now. A little after I first received my powers." Momoko dared to cup the girl's face in her hand.

Sakura's eyes slowly opened. There was a beautiful woman touching her face. She had long, pink hair and a white complexion. Her aura felt absolutely wonderful.

Sakura blinked. "Am I... dead?"

"No," Momoko replied. Her eyes were misty. "You are alive. And you are here, with me."

Sakura's eyes darted to the other person. She then stared. This very man took her away from her home and into hell. He was a demon.

The kunoichi jumped from her bed and threw a fist at Yousuke's face.

Her body stopped, and the door to the hospital wing banged against the wall — in that order. Two women were holding her. One had wavy, shoulder-length red hair, and the other had green hair cut short.

Sakura was stunned. These women were as fast as Kakashi, maybe even Gai. They were not even in the room half a second ago.

"My, my, she's quite the warrior," Scarlett said crisply, holding Sakura's arms.

"Let me go! Who are you? Where the hell am I?" Sakura struggled in their tight lock, glaring at the person she knew as 'Viento'. "Why did you kidnap me?" she shouted. "Damn it, let me go, can't you see he's a powerful demon!"

Hinagiku had her arm locked around Sakura's waist. "That's no excuse to go attacking strangers. As for him being a demon: one, we already know that; two, he won't hurt ya'." Hinagiku's old boyish slang began to spring up. "And if you don't keep quiet in your bed you're gonna pass out again!"

Momoko was startled with Sakura's violent outburst, but calmed down. "Let's take things from the top, shall we?" she asked. "My husband, Yousuke, came to your Ninja world to bring you home. Sakura."

'Ninja world? Home?' Sakura blinked.

It finally registered to Sakura: she was in a totally different world. No Konoha. No Naruto, no Ino, no Kakashi-sensei. There wasn't even a Fire Country.

Sakura trembled. "Impossible... No, Konoha is my world, my home... Why the hell did your husband, VIENTO," Sakura angrily pointed at Yousuke, "just drop down from the sky, knock me and my friends out, and pull me here? I was almost killed with that entire trip! Two of my closest friends could be dead now, for all I know! That's a perfectly good excuse to attack him — my parents are there; my friends are there; my village is there — MY HOME IS OVER THERE, DAMN IT!"

The group was silent. Sakura could see the hurt in Momoko's eyes.

"...I know you deserve an explanation. But please, calm down," Momoko soothed. "Hinagiku, Scarlett, you can let go of her. Sit down, Sakura."

After much silence, the two angels let go of the pink-haired kunoichi, and she sat down on the bed obediently. Sakura was surprised at the general atmosphere in this group. Grown-ups at home would have probably admonished her for speaking up to her elders. Here, everybody in this room only gave her disappointed or sad expressions. This was clearly not the world of shinobi.

Momoko nodded to her teammates. "Hinagiku, Scarlett, thank you. I am sure you do not need to stand guard outside anymore." The two walked out of the wing and closed the door behind them.

Sakura nervously clutched her blanket. She felt a little ashamed of her outburst. The demon did kidnap her, yes. She did try to slit his throat right afterwards, yes. But he protected her throughout the whole Dead Zone ordeal — and she had thanked him for it with a flying fist.

Momoko gulped. This would be hard for the girl. "Sakura, this is my husband, Fuuma Yousuke. I am his wife, Fuuma Momoko."

Sakura looked at Yousuke. "I thought your name was Viento," she said quietly.

"It is, but that's my demon name," the brown-haired man said. "The human name I was born with is Fuuma Yousuke."

"Fuuma... So you're a wind-demon?" Sakura asked.

"Actually, I'm only half. Half-demon and half-human. And Momo-P here is half-angel and half-human."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

Momoko laughed. "Yes, it is rare for an angel and demon to fall in love. But not impossible. You see, this dimension has three realms: the human realm, the angel realm, and the demon realm. We grew up in the human world and met there, not knowing of our different ancestry. When we received our powers, our relationship was... problematic to both the angels and demons." Momoko blushed prettily. "But our love helped end the war."

Yousuke looked away. His skin was tanned, but Sakura swore that she saw a wisp of color brush his cheeks.

Momoko swallowed.

"And... after we got married... we had you."

* * *

(( (Thirteen years ago)

"Sakura's mixed blood is working against her. There's no way that she can survive," Yuri murmured to her friend. "I am so sorry, Momoko."

"Yuri..." Momoko's eyes filled with tears. She looked desperately at her baby — little Sakura was visibly turning sicker and sicker after her birth a few days ago.

"This doesn't make sense!" Yousuke said, furious. "She's half-human, just like Momoko and I, and she can't survive in ANY of the realms?"

"She will last a little longer, because the human blood acts as a neutralizer of a sort," a nearby healer said. She lowered her eyes. "But at this rate... I'm sorry."

The tears silently rolled down Momoko's face. The tiny Sakura was asleep — but soon she would fall into a different sleep, from which nobody ever woke up. The mother simply gazed at the beautiful girl in her arms. Sakura: cherry blossom. How fitting. So beautiful, and so temporary.

"There could still be a way," Takurou said.

Everybody's heads turned to him.

"What is it?" Yousuke asked.

Hinagiku sighed to herself. Here was yet another experiment that might prove disastrous. She hoped that Takurou could at least explain it to them before trying it.

"Well, you know that I've been working in space-time technology," said Takurou. "We knew before about the existence of other dimensions, and that people live in some of them. One of my colleagues figured out how to make a communications link using wormholes, and he found out that those people are almost entirely similar to us in genetics. Their aura-systems are a little different, but it's not a 100 percent chance that any transferred living being of one earth would die in another."

Yousuke twitched. He could keep up with all that jargon, but right now his daughter's life was in danger.

"Get to the point, Takurou," Hinagiku growled at her husband.

"Okay, okay," Takurou said hastily. "I think that Sakura may be able to live in another dimension, where there isn't as much spiritual force imbalance. Her angel and demon parts of her will be considerably weaker in other dimensions."

"So... if she's taken to another world, she will live?" Yuri asked.

"Well, that may or may not be," Takurou replied nervously. "No such physical transfer has been done before. In fact, I only completed such a mechanism two months ago. If you take this chance... then Sakura... would be the first person in our dimension ever to do it."

"And it's the only chance Sakura has," the healer said with gravity. "Sakura, in her present state, won't last more than two days. Anything, even a new environment, that could weaken the conflicting forces in her body will greatly improve her chances of living."

There was a dead silence.

Takurou stood up. "You must decide whether to do this or not by tomorrow noon, at the space-time laboratory. Before then, do you have any piece of jewelry?"

Momoko thought a while, and took out a brooch from her purse. "This?"

The physicist snatched it away. "That kind of alloy is perfect!"

"Takurou, I accepted a long time ago that most scientists don't earn very much, so don't exploit one of my best friends!" Hinagiku exclaimed.

"This is NOT for payment!" Takurou retorted.

* * *

"I am asking you one more time." Takurou stared at the computer screen, scrolling through the files for one last time. He dared not look at the unhappy two standing behind him. "Are you sure of this?"

"YES! Please take my daughter!" Momoko pleaded, the baby in her arms. Yousuke stood behind his wife, holding her waist. "This world's energy system is going against her blood... It's too dangerous here!"

"Sakura would be totally removed from this world, into another which we know nothing of," Takurou said. "That would require a DIMENSIONAL jump. You may never see her again."

"I want her to live!" Momoko shouted, nearly crying. " I LOVE HER!" Sakura began to wail.

The scientist stood up. "All right. Here we go." Takurou pinned the brooch onto Sakura's blankets. He had spent nearly the entire night putting an energy reserve in its core. Momoko's eyes became blurred as she held her daughter. Takurou nodded to the married couple, indicating that this was it. Momoko kissed the baby Sakura, and Yousuke likewise.

Takurou took the crying Sakura away from her parents, and nestled her into a foot-long capsule. He closed the metal box and sealed it. The capsule was then secured into large machine in the center of the huge laboratory.

The raven-haired scientist picked up a microphone. "Get ready for transfer!" Takurou ordered. "Port B, do you read me?"

"Read you, loud and clear," a voice answered from a speaker.

Momoko was sobbing in her husband's chest.

"Systems, check..." ))

* * *

Notes on the meanings of names:

"Fuuma" - means 'wind demon.' It is the same word as in "Fuuma Shuriken", the weapon used by Mizuki against Iruka-sensei in the first episode of Naruto, and later by Sasuke and Naruto during the first battle against Zabusa.

"Viento" - means 'wind' in Spanish.

"Sakura" - 'cherry blossom' of course!

"Haruno" - means 'field of spring' when you look at the kanji, but its sound resembles "of spring". So "Haruno Sakura" is a pun on 'cherry blossom of spring.'

"Momoko" - means 'peach child.'

"Hinagiku" - means 'daisy.'


	5. Sadness Here and There

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 5: Sadness Here and There

* * *

The results of Sakura's blood tests came out. It was true: Momoko and Yousuke were her biological parents.

"This still doesn't make sense," Sakura insisted to the doctor. "If everything which Momoko and Yousuke said... if I really was a weakling and was sent to the Shinobi world so that I could survive... then wouldn't I die, right here and right now, because of the angel and demon blood conflicting again?"

"We had to wait until your angel and demon forces neutralized completely," the doctor explained. "The new world just gave you a different environment in terms of spiritual energy. Once you grew up and were physically stronger, you could come back to our dimension. The fatigue you are experiencing right now is your body adjusting to the new spiritual-energy system."

"So, I still can do jutsu?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"You mean spells and magic? No, not necessa—"

'Tiger, Horse—' Sakura started to perform the In while sitting in her bed, but suddenly felt the same dazzling headache again. "Ow, ow, ow!" Sakura winced, holding her head.

"Don't be so hasty," the doctor said as Sakura fell back down on the bed. Not only were the headaches painful; they also made her exhausted. "As I said, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Your body still needs to rest and adjust."

**'I am so screwed.'**

**

* * *

**

"Thank you, Naruto, Lee," Tsunade said. "I now take my leave. And don't do anything STUPID, like sneaking off to train, until you're released." Groans came from the bed-ridden teenagers. "I am serious: I will give you _the finger_ if you do not take my medical advice seriously, alright?"

Naruto flinched, and gulped: he knew exactly what she meant by that.

Tsunade waved sweetly to them. "Good night!"

The Hokage stepped out of the ward and walked down the hallway. She curtly nodded to the doctors and nurses who bowed to her. Kakashi was waiting at the lobby.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed to her in respect.

"This incident is so bizarre." Tsunade said. "Naruto and Lee knocked out instantly with just one blow — it must have been quite a wave of chakra indeed. And to have that team of chuunin find Naruto and Lee unconscious by the cliff before rocks or vultures descended on them... those two were damn lucky."

"Why would anything with such chakra want to kidnap Sakura?" Kakashi asked. The Copy-Ninja lowered his head. A sad expression, like that of a worried older brother, was slightly visible in his masked face.

"I guess you didn't give enough attention to her, either," Tsunade murmured.

Twelve blocks away, a wife was crying while her husband tenderly held her.

* * *

(( (Thirteen years ago)

The Harunos walked slowly toward Konoha. They had just left the hospital of the nearby village. Mr. Haruno was downcast, and Mrs. Haruno's eyes were red and puffy. Neither felt like rushing the journey through the trees.

She became pregnant half a year after they married. Even with the new load, she insisted that she continue doing her job as a kunoichi, even if they were low-rank missions. Her husband tried to dissuade her from doing such things during a pregnancy, but she was too stubborn: "We need the money for the baby."

It had been a few months pregnancy while they were doing a C-rank mission together in a nearby village, and she started to bleed heavily. Her husband rushed her to the small clinic there. It was a miscarriage. And according to the head doctor, she had little chance of ever having another baby.

"We have a new mission tomorrow, honey," Mr. Haruno said, as gently as he possibly could. "Don't get distracted."

"I know..." She sniffled. "It's just... I'm so sorry for being weak... I'm sorry to have failed you as a wife. That shooting star must have been a bad omen."

"Oh for heaven's sake!" he muttered, and he pulled her into a hug. "I don't care about heirs; our main duty is to protect the village."

She sobbed. "But... I know you wanted to raise a child with me..."

"Look, honey..." he started. Mr. Haruno heard something in the forest. Something was wailing. "Do you hear that?"

She stopped sniffing and listened. Sure enough, it sounded like a human baby.

"Let's go!" Mr. Haruno said. He dashed off towards the sound. His wife followed.

Tigers eyed the prey from the bushes. A human cub lay helpless, in the middle of the forest, up for grabs. The only problem was that there was a ring of fire surrounding it. But the embers were dying down. Soon the child would be completely unprotected.

The tigers crouched down, ready to leap.

'Kanashibari no Jutsu!'

Mr. Haruno cast the genjutsu on the monster predators. The image of a bloody death flashed through the tigers' minds. Ten seconds of immobility: it was enough. Mrs. Haruno dropped into the ring of fire, collected the baby, and jumped back up into the trees. Her husband performed a quick water-jutsu on the fire to prevent it from spreading, and took off before the tigers came to their senses.

They jumped through the trees until they reached Konoha. Mr. Haruno called on a watchman to open the gates. While they were kept waiting, the couple looked at the little bundle. The blankets were a little burnt, but the baby itself looked healthy. At least the child was crying, and not dead.

"You poor thing..." Mrs. Haruno said quietly as she traced the folds of the blanket. She turned to her husband. "Could we...?"

"Keep her?" he finished her sentence with a grin. "I was thinking of that already when I heard her voice."

His wife's eyes shined with joy. "What shall we call her?" Mrs. Haruno gazed at the small, delicate child. She noticed a little glint in the folds of the blankets. It revealed itself as a beautiful brooch of enamel and gold.

Mrs. Haruno looked at the brooch. She then tilted her head up to the cherry blossom trees, and back to the baby. "She must have been sent from the gods," Mrs. Haruno whispered. "This jewel is in the shape of a cherry blossom. And the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom. Sakura... Sakura. That sounds just right." ))

* * *

It was night. Sakura couldn't sleep — she was too miserable.

No Konoha. No Konoha. No Konoha. As the thoughts sank into her, she wanted to cry.

'No, I'm not gonna cry,' Sakura mentally charged herself. 'I decided that when Sasuke left the village. Crying won't help anything —'

The faint sobs broke out.

'What were they thinking when they brought me back? Even if they're my biological parents, they're not my real parents. My real parents, the ones in Konoha, are the ones who raised me and nurtured me. I am a Haruno! Not a Fuuma. Haruno!'

The door opened. Sakura heard the soft patting of slippers coming toward her bed. She wiped her wet face with the blanket.

A woman whispered through the darkness. "Sakura."

It was Yuri, the last of Momoko's teammates. Her long and brown wavy hair cascaded down her back. Sakura took Yuri to be a very elegant and polite lady the first time they met.

"Yuri-san, you — heard me?" Sakura hiccupped.

"I understand the pain and confusion you have faced thus far," Yuri whispered. "But please, do not think ill of Momoko and Yousuke for bringing you back."

"Why shouldn't I?" Sakura mumbled angrily. "Did Momoko and Yousuke think that they could just restart the family from scratch when I came back? Well, they should have thought it over a little longer. If they really loved me, they wouldn't have taken my home away!"

"They knew that you already established a home there," Yuri said. "But it had been thirteen whole years since we saw your world. When another wormhole opened up, we tracked you, just to see whether you were alive. You were alive — but there was an extremely dangerous force infecting your world, particularly around the area you landed on as a baby."

A moment of annoyance crossed Sakura's face. "Dangerous force? Yuri-san, my world is made of powerful ninja who can control anything from a needle to full-fledged elemental jutsu. There are dangerous forces everywhere."

"This force we saw was dark, and alarmingly strong," Yuri said, a slight hint of fear in her eyes. "It was far different from the natural energy that your ninja utilize for magic. Moreover, this dark energy was definitely not there thirteen years ago. It was something very, very serious."

"So my friends and family could be dying right now."

Yuri breathed. "Momoko and Yousuke were afraid that your life was in danger again. You were — are — their only child, and they brought you back. Not because they wanted to take you away, but because they loved you, and wanted you to live. Please, give them a chance."

Yuri set a cup of hot chocolate on the table attached to Sakura's bedside. "Here, this will cheer you up, Sakura-chan."

Sakura-chan.

(( "Sakura-chan!" ))

Naruto's voice echoed in her head. The tears started to well up again. Did she swallow a stone just now? Sakura-chan. Only Naruto and her parents called her that anymore.

"Sakura, you want to become stronger, right?" Yuri asked, changing to a lighter subject.

Sakura curtly nodded.

"In two days, Hinagiku wants you to come to her martial arts class. She wants to teach you some of her own martial arts, and have you to demonstrate a little bit of that... um, 'taijutsu', was it?"

Sakura sipped a little of the chocolate. At least they weren't trying to coop her up.

* * *

Note:

"Yuri" - means 'lily'.

I know, I know... It's rather slow so far. But the action is coming up! Now excuse me as I borrow a book on martial arts from the library... (Oh, if only I knew how to do at least one style! Lady Light-san, I choose you as my action-critic!)


	6. Martial Arts Mayhem

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

'Ki', 'aura' and 'chakra' will be used interchangeably from now on. Sakura and those of the Shinobi World will keep on calling it 'chakra', while most of the people in the alternate dimension will call it 'ki' or 'aura'.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 6: Martial Arts Mayhem

* * *

Sakura tried not to fidget as the class waited for their teacher to arrive. There were curious glances flying in her direction. She was dressed in the traditional gi, just like all the other students, except her trousers that went all the way to her ankles. Her silky pink hair was tied up into a short ponytail. There were many people with strange hair colors in the group, so it wasn't as if Sakura looked any weirder.

She just _felt_ weird. There were angels, demons and even a couple of humans in the circle of fifty-some people. A few of them noticed the abnormal nature of Sakura's aura. Sakura could decipher out complete sentences from some of the whispers.

"Her ki seems even weaker than a normal human girl's."

"Maybe she was desperate and Sensei took pity on her — well, she won't last very long."

"I think she's kinda cute."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't received such a compliment in years. Maybe she could prove that she was strong, too.

The door slid open. In stepped Hinagiku with her gi. Her green hair framed her perky face. "Good-morning, class!" Hinagiku shouted out.

"Good-morning, Sensei!" everybody except Sakura answered.

"Alright, class. We have a new student today." Hinagiku walked over to Sakura and lifted her up to her feet. "Haruno Sakura-san. She's new to this city, so please make her feel welcome."

The class clapped. A number had blank expressions, some looked sympathetic, and there were even a couple with tiny smirks. Only a few had genuine smiles. Sakura smiled back, effectively hiding her nervousness.

"Sakura, can you tell me what kind of training you had before?" Hinagiku asked.

"Um... various projectile-weapons, and taijutsu," Sakura said. Some confused looks went across the room.

"Okay. Does 'taijutsu' involve weaponry as well?" Hinagiku already knew the answer, but she wanted to teach her students something new.

"No, it is just hand-to-hand combat that shi— um, my people use," Sakura answered. 'Close call,' she thought. She was definitely not ready to explain she was from another reality.

"Doesn't that mean 'technique of the body'?" one student whispered to another. "Yet another moron invents some new style."

Sakura's fists clenched. **'You're gonna eat your words for insulting the way of the ninja, SHAAANAROOOO!'**

"All right, Haruno-san. Class, not only is Sakura joining us, she is also going to help in today's lesson. In any battle, there will be moves your enemies will use, which none of you have seen before. Most of these moves aren't even recorded in the, quote-on-quote, official books."

"What!" one student yelled out. His reaction looked like Naruto's 'I was never told of THIS!' expression, like when Kakashi revealed that the true purpose of the Ninja Academy's graduation exam was to weed out the incompetents.

"The reason you are at this academy is to practice and improve in the well-established martial arts," Hinagiku explained. "Don't be surprised if there is some street stuff outside the textbooks."

Was that a sadistic grin on the teacher's face?

"Anyway, the junior battle tournament is coming in a month. It will be anything goes — not just magic and weaponry, but also new types of hand-to-hand combat." Hinagiku turned her head back to Sakura. "Haruno-san, will you be willing to have a quick match with Jura-kun?"

A red-haired boy stood up. He was normally built, looked fifteen, and was at least a head taller than Sakura. He was a fire-demon by the looks of him. The two faced each other in the middle of the circle. They did the customary bow, but Sakura could read the bloodlust in his red eyes.

"Alright, once one person lands a hit, falls down or gets the other in a lock, the match is over," Hinagiku said between them. She backed off. "Ready...start!"

Jura lashed out at Sakura. She dodged his fists, barely missing each rapid thrust. His offensive increased, and she started to block in addition to evading the hits.

Jura became angrier: Sakura was like a lizard with the way she controlled her arms and torso. He then resorted to some higher kicking moves.

Hinagiku narrowed her eyes. Sakura was dodging each and every one of Jura's attacks. But her upper body was doing most of all the movement, as if she couldn't use her legs easily. In fact, her legs were barely moving at all. Sure, she lifted her feet from the mat only now and then, but she basically remained in the exact same spot.

Jura noticed this as well, and decided to aim for Sakura's ankles. He did a lower kick on Sakura's ankles, tripping her and knocking her clean off. Her feet slipped on the matt, and she fell forward, her chest hitting the mat.

Jura yelped in pain: something hard was on Sakura's shins. Sakura had lost the match, but Jura swore that he could feel a bruise forming. "She's cheating with some sort of armor on her legs!" he yelled out.

Hinagiku turned to Sakura, who was just getting up. "Haruno-san? Do you have something on your legs?"

Sakura blushed. "I have a few weights."

"Please take them off," Hinagiku ordered. "I want you to spar without them."

Sakura sighed, rolling up her trousers, revealing a total of four weights attached by strips of white cloth. She pulled out the flat pieces and laid them on her seating area.

**'Man that feels so much better! I am PUMPED!'**

"Sensei, could I continue to spar with Haruno-san?" Jura a polite manner. Sakura looked at his eyes, and decided he probably had some other motives.

"Certainly," Hinagiku said. The two faced each other, and bowed again. "Ready...go!"

Jura let out a full-power offensive: Sakura jumped, turned and twisted around his great array of kicks and punches. Hinagiku was impressed. A few of the students were mesmerized — Sakura's form was a little jerky, but she was dodging nonetheless. The word 'show-off' came into many other students' minds.

And Jura was getting royally pissed off.

Hinagiku noticed a long time ago that this fight had escalated to a higher level far beyond what she originally intended. But she let it be, since Sakura seemed to handle the situation well.

'He's going berserk,' Sakura observed. Her head evaded a quick thrust. 'This can be used as an advantage, but if I don't win soon it'll be bad. When he does land a blow on me, it will be more than just a bruise — he might even attempt to use a spell. He'd get in trouble, but I'd be dead.'

Jura's moves were turning more and more reckless. 'Sakura is playing with fire,' Hinagiku thought. Sakura used her analytical skills well, but was too hesitant to even land a punch.

Sakura then did something amazing, both to herself and Hinagiku. She jumped back with a five-meter leap, and then stood in a straight standing position. Jura was confused, and stopped for a moment. Sakura then beckoned Jura to come closer, using a slight hand movement and an arrogant smirk — just as she had seen Sasuke do in his fight with Gaara.

Jura responded as she pleased, running toward her with sheer hatred in his face. Sakura then left the spot with a burst of speed: Jura's fist met thin air, and Sakura was behind him in an instant. She punched the back of his head, causing him to fall to his knees.

Jura got up, and fire was burning in his eyes. Literally.

'Crap, I missed the nerve that was supposed to knock him out!' Sakura thought. She closed her eyes for the incoming hit.

It never came.

Hinagiku stood in front of Sakura, guarding her. The master held the fire-demon back with one hand on his chest, the other holding his wrist. "Jura-kun, that's enough. Both of you, sit down."

Sakura bit her lip. She wobbled back to her spot, and sat down. She could not fight any more for today.

Hinagiku decided that the demonstration had already fulfilled its purpose. The class went back to normal practice, and Sakura sat in the corner, just watching and thinking.

'I'm always being protected, no matter what I do,' she thought. Sasuke's words from a long time ago sank in.

(( "You're the same level as Naruto. If you have time to pay attention to me, then go practice at least one jutsu."

A mental rock dropped on her.

"Frankly, your abilities are even lower than Naruto's."

The rock grew ten-fold. Sasuke walked away. Gloom descended upon the kunoichi. 'He's right...' ))

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. 'I guess he's still right.'


	7. Research Roadblock?

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

This coming chapter is based on the short story "Vor dem Gesetz" (trans.: 'In front of the Law'), a chapter in Franz Kafka's novel _Das Schloss_ (trans.: _The Castle_ OR _The Lock_). It's an awesome story in itself.

A vague sasusaku moment is here. It's nothing to get excited over... or is it?

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 7: Research Roadblock?

* * *

Sakura had softened her opinion of Momoko and Yousuke somewhat. They took Sakura into their home, which was a large mansion bustling with children. The couple had adopted various orphans who lost their parents because of the Great War. While the children were off at school, Sakura did small household chores, such as vacuuming or grocery shopping. She became good friends with Mrs. Suzuki, the human cook whose angel husband died in action.

The mansion itself was imbedded on a forested hill overlooking the city of Minerva, the center of all inter-celestial diplomacy. In which realm Minerva truly belonged, no one knew. The population was split between angels and demons for the most part — a few pure-blood humans lived there because they were either related to, or had married, a supernatural being. The foundation of this city rested on the relative peace between angels and demons. If a small rebellion broke out, earthquakes would occur in Minerva. If there was an all-out war, the whole city would completely disintegrate.

As a symbolic gesture, fighting tournaments were always held in this city. Like the Chuunin examinations in the Shinobi world, Sakura found out, these tournaments were a celebration of the peace-treaty between Demon and Angel. The event also helped to satisfy the bloodlust flowing in the veins of some.

A guilty feeling pricked her heart. The Chuunin exams. When Sakura left the Shinobi world, the exams were two weeks away. How could Naruto now attend them, considering that both of his original teammates were gone? Sure, he could get placed in another team, but Kakashi's beliefs in teamwork would probably hedge Naruto from going. After all, both Sasuke and Sakura were gone, and no matter how good a ninja Naruto was by himself, Kakashi would not even sign a recommendation if Naruto didn't have a close team with him.

Although comfortable, Sakura wished that there were some way to tell her friends and family in the Shinobi world that she was okay. Of course Sakura wanted to return to the world of ninjas — that was her home, where she was raised at had her life. But the wormhole closed off, and Sakura was stuck here. Everybody at home was probably worried sick or thought her dead.

"Sakura, here's some tea." Momoko placed a cup of iced tea and a slice of cake in front of Sakura.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you, Momoko-san."

"Please, just call me Momoko."

'At least she's not asking me to call her Mother,' Sakura thought to herself as she ate her cake.

Momoko sat down with her, and put a fork in her own slice. She held her breath at the silence. Awkward, yes. And it would surely turn more awkward soon. "Sakura, there's something Yousuke and I want you to do."

"What is it? Did Akito-kun throw up in his room again?"

"No..." Momoko knew this would upset the girl, but better tell her now rather than wait until the last moment. "Yousuke put you into the junior tournament that's coming in a month."

Sakura choked on her cake. She began to cough. "WHAT?" she managed to say.

This was too sudden. And way too dangerous. One week in a new dimension, and she had almost been killed by, so far: one unknown demon, one young fire-demon, and moving blobs made up of an unknown substance. Were Sakura not trained as a ninja, she would be extremely paranoid by now.

"Yousuke and I know that you can do it." Momoko smiled. "Don't worry, unlike the official fighting tournament, no killing is allowed."

"Killing!" Sakura exclaimed. "That's the least of my worries! They can do a lot worse, you know! I only have average taijutsu skills and limited supply of shuriken, kunai, and Kanshaku-dama, whereas everybody else will have powerful magic skills and who-knows-what-else at their friggin' disposal! I saw Yousuke's Demon Breeze: it's enough to blast away anything!" Sakura paused for oxygen. "WHAT WAS HE THINKING when he put me in?"

"Yousuke had no choice. The Safety and Security Committee, and the Committee of Public Relations... both want it that you to prove yourself worthy to reside in Minerva and its associated lands."

Sakura groaned. "So this is a bureaucratic thing."

"Unfortunately, yes," Momoko said with a sigh. "Even full-blooded humans can live in Minerva, but only if it is because they are related to, or have married, an angel or demon living in the city. Only very few people actually know that the daughter of an angel and a demon lives — and a child from such a union is strictly forbidden."

Sakura caught on. "So... to the city council, I'm just a human who somehow landed into the Dead Zone, where Yousuke just so happened to save me and put me under his wing."

"Yes. Because Yousuke and I have the status of the legendary warriors Viento and Wedding Peach, the committees are hesitant to take you out of our household too quickly. So we're safe for now. Yet... if they can prove that you are totally helpless, then they would have enough political power to transfer you to the human realm. That's why they asked to see you in the tournament."

Sakura's bit her lower lip in frustration. She was starting to get comfortable in this new environment, and some random committees wanted to kick her out already? **'Those narrow-minded bureaucrats!**'

Sakura thought the matter through, looking at her tea. She watched the thin line of steam threading upward.

"Momoko, is there any possible way that I can get my chakra back?" Sakura asked.

* * *

Sasuke pulled his kunai out of the training doll. His aim was off today. Orochimaru was irritated, thus becoming more creepy than usual — he didn't expect his best student to be this sloppy.

"Sasuke-kun, I think training is over for today," Orochimaru said with a cool smile. "I can see something is bothering you."

The two had grown a strange sort of relationship. At first, Orochimaru wanted Sasuke only as the next vessel for his soul, to continue his quest for knowing every jutsu ever created. Simply _knowing_ that he could use so many techniques, and manipulate and see through any person and anything... it thrilled Orochimaru. And Sasuke's body, with its Sharingan, beauty, and strength at such a young age, would give Orochimaru a second queen in his chess game for absolute knowledge, truth, and power.

There was a complication, however. The moment Sasuke arrived at Orochimaru's hideout that fateful night, Orochimaru decided to transfer his soul not into Sasuke's body, but in one of the lesser-able ninjas he had at his disposal. Poor bloke; he probably didn't know what was coming to him. Sasuke seemed quite naïve as well, thinking that Orochimaru merely wanted him as a soldier in his Sound army. Maybe the boy only saw the relationship as a mutual trade-off: Orochimaru trained Sasuke, and Sasuke served him.

It was very likely that Sasuke knew Orochimaru's true intentions. He had already seen a few jutsu which involved corpses, and was fully aware that his master could kill him on a whim. That night in the Forest of Death was just a test.

But something held the snake-man back when Sasuke came to him seeking power. Maybe Orochimaru wanted to make sure Sasuke fully developed the Sharingan before he took control of his body. Or maybe, Orochimaru wanted to once more have the experience of teaching a talented student.

"There's nothing bothering me," Sasuke said with irritation.

Orochimaru sighed. "Your lying skills are getting terrible, too."

'Ugh, he's creepy and I hate his guts,' Sasuke thought as he took a shower. He dried himself, changed into his yukata and went to bed.

It was a little over five years since that night he saw Itachi standing over the corpses of his parents. That scene never faded away from his consciousness.

He had to avenge the murder of his clan. He had trusted and admired Itachi — his perfect, powerful, genius older brother. And then one evening, Sasuke came home to find his family totally massacred by his idol. Because of Itachi, Sasuke lost not only his family, but practically all his trust in people. The only reason Sasuke was here was that he needed Orochimaru's knowledge and training.

'People are either tools or roadblocks for my own goals, one or the other. That's just how it is.'

But today, thinking about Itachi wasn't what was making Sasuke lose his normal cool. He thought about Itachi every day, afterall. Now memories of Konoha were resurfacing, albeit it was already six months ago when he left it.

There was a nagging feeling at the back of his head, telling him that something was missing from this world.

A cherry blossom tree was standing outside his window. He saw that its flowers were wilting. He narrowed his eyes, and closed the curtains.

* * *

'Okay, so Momoko didn't know. Go figure. The library has to have something, though.'

Sakura added a little skip on her quest for a holy chakra guide. Or a holy ki guide. Whatever that could give her back her array of jutsu.

Sakura reached the public library. The building was huge. She entered it hesitantly, and her jaw dropped at the number of books. This library probably was ten times bigger than that of Konohagakure. Sakura felt small, but she was also a little excited at the same time. The bigger the library, the greater the chance for her finding what she needed. Sakura had a gleam in her eyes, mixed with a little insanity, as she walked up to the head desk.

"I need some scrolls on chakra!" she demanded the head librarian.

The librarian cocked an eyebrow. "Scrolls?"

Sakura realized her mistake. This library had books, not scrolls. She laughed nervously. "I mean, books. On chakra — I mean, ki."

"Okay. The section on the science of spiritual energy is..." the librarian read the monitor, "third floor, section M, stacks 4-10." She scribbled the information down on a slip of paper, and handed it to Sakura.

"Thank you!" Sakura took the paper and dashed up the stairway.

She reached the third floor and entered section A — only to realize that each section meant a single room.

She walked through the section, glancing at the rows and rows of books passing her by. At last, she reached the door which went to section B.

In front of the door stood a guard. Sakura could tell that he was an angel by his folded wings. He also held a spear in his hands. He looked rather bored.

"Um, excuse me. Could I please go in?" Sakura asked him. "I'm trying to get to section M."

The angel did not move, save his mouth. "Sorry, miss, it's not open now," he said in a firm tone.

**'What the HECK?'** Sakura was confused. "What, section B or section M?"

"Both."

The kunoichi crossed her arms, her green eyes scrutinizing the angel. "Why would a couple of sections of the library be closed when the rest of it is open?"

"I don't make the rules."

"When are these open, then?" she demanded.

"Soon," he answered. The guard handed her a stool. "Here's something you can sit on."

Sakura looked at him incredulously. **'Who does he think I AM?'**

"I have a feeling that you're just here to scare off people from going in!" the kunoichi stated bluntly.

The angel was impressed. "Very good!" he congratulated. "You know, most people who came up here just leave after waiting for hours and hours on end. You can go in the section if you want to, but there's stuff in there that's rather... scary, shall we say."

"I'm at least looking, okay?" Sakura reached for the handle.

"If you're going in, you'll stay in, until you reach the next door," the angel said. "But don't blame me for not warning you."

Sakura glared at him, then entered.

The door slammed behind her. And she gave a small scream at what she saw in section B.

Books were falling from the shelves, creating a mess. All sorts of bugs, snakes and lizards were crawling out of the open books lying on the floor. **'EEWWWWWWW! NEXT DOOR, NEXT DOOR!'**

Sakura ran through the harmless (yet quite mind-grating) jumble of paper, insects and reptiles. She reached the door and entered the next room.

Section C was full of textbooks. They were all neatly in the stacks. It looked as if nobody looked through these in years — but that was probably because there were gigantic bookworms eating through them.

Nobody would want to touch these. Sakura wrinkled her nose in disgust, and went forward.

A worm dropped from the ceiling and landed on Sakura.

The girl whipped out a kunai and sliced it in half. The slimy pieces dropped to the floor, and she ran to the door before any more worms wanted to make a feast out of her.

She was now getting a little scared.

Section D: this one looked a little more normal. In fact, it looked exactly like section A. And the door's guard looked exactly like the previous one. Sakura walked up to him.

He pointed a spear at her. "Unlike my brother, I am not letting you through without a fight."

The kunoichi was far out of his reach (unless he threw the weapon, of course), but Sakura wanted to actually get to the door and go through it. Unscathed. She tightly held her kunai, but then decided to put it back in her shuriken holster.

"Please let me through. I must," she said with her most diplomatic voice.

"No," he said. "I am required to resort to certain measures, if need be."

"And I am required as well to go to section M."

The guard shook his head, and looked at her. "Do you know _exactly_ what lies past Section D?"

"Section E," Sakura said matter-of-factly, trying to keep a straight face.

"That's not what I meant, you stupid girl!" the guard snapped. "There are many dangerous books on the third floor. You already saw the disturbing things in sections B and C. The rooms past this door have things you couldn't even imagine. It would be safer for you to go back."

"I'm going in, no matter what kind of stuff is in there!" Sakura hotly replied. She ran towards him. He looked surprised at her sudden charge, especially when she had no weapons drawn.

"Fine, go in." The angel sidestepped and opened the door, causing a bewildered Sakura to tumble into Section E and fall on her face. "But don't say I didn't warn you!" he called out, right before slamming it shut.

Sakura's face was now deep in mud. **'THAT WAS SOOO RANDOM! THIS PLACE IS INSANE!'**

Sure enough, the next sections had more disgusting and surreal things, among them: hand-biting books, acid-spitting plants, flying paper dolls that tried to slashed you, and shelves that liked to either block or crush those who passed by. The guards were getting more persistent, too. Sakura lost her temper and used five shuriken on the last one, and he crumbled into dust.

Sakura, caked with dirt, slime, sweat and blood, finally reached the door leading to section M.

She then stopped. She reexamined the room she was in. Section L seemed... _normal_. It had no guard, either. There had to be some sort of a catch. She closely looked at the doorknob. She touched it with a kunai. Nothing happened. She grabbed it and twisted it.

A shower of water sprayed on her. 'Oh, well,' she thought. 'At least it isn't acid.'

The door opened to Section M. Finally. And she saw two people in the middle of the section. It was the head librarian and Yousuke.

"Please don't tell me that I have to fight you, too," Sakura moaned. The pink-haired girl noticed that she was now completely clean and dry.

Yousuke laughed. "No, no," he said. "We're both here to congratulate you. You stood the test."

"Test?" Sakura's blood was starting to boil. "You mean you set up all that shit as a TEST?"

"Yes, and you did amazingly well," the librarian said.

"I was almost killed." Sakura sounded like the Grim Reaper himself.

"Nah," Yousuke said. "You might have gotten hurt, but not killed."

Sakura exploded. "It was only my stubbornness that got me through, SHAANNAROOOOO!"

"EXACTLY," the librarian replied, completely unfazed with Sakura's outburst. "That test is given to _everybody_ who tries to find the more classified information in this library. Once you get through the 'Third Floor Ordeal', you can handle anything that comes your way!"

"That was a FUCKING WASTE OF TIME!" Sakura yelled.

"LIKE HELL IT WAS!" Yousuke yelled back. "Sakura, don't you _see_ what this test is supposed to simulate?"

Sakura's temper deflated with this sudden question. She thought about it. "Um... life?" she hesitantly asked.

"Close, but not quite," Yousuke said, although he secretly thought that she only had guessed. "I'll give you a hint. It's why you came here in the first place. What was the reason?"

The pink-haired girl rubbed her head. "I came here... to find information about chakra."

"Go on."

"And I need information on chakra to do well in the tournament... And that's because the committees want to see if I can protect myself."

"Precisely," Yousuke said. "You see, Sakura, when you live in any society, you're going to run into bureaucracy... people and rules that are roadblocks to your goals. Those people, just like those angel guards, might have a point, of course: you're going into unknown and perhaps dangerous territory. But if you have the determination and have a clear goal in mind — in this case, getting the right information and staying in Minerva — you have a good chance. You've just proven how strong your own will is."

Sakura didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she felt kind of giddy and proud of herself. That test was unusual, to say the least. And it had revealed something which she thought she never had.

On the other hand...

"VIENTO, if this weren't mandatory for all people entering the third floor, I would have killed you by now."

He smiled. "That's 'Yousuke' to you."


	8. A New Acquaintance

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback))

-Writing-

Chapter 8: A New Acquaintance

* * *

Sakura dropped her backpack on a bench, and it landed with a thud on the poor wood. The bag held six heavy textbooks. She sat down next to it for a short rest. The red sunset reflected off the beautiful river flowing by.

'Geez, I have to be a little stronger than this.' Beads of sweat trickled down her face.

"Hello there."

Sakura jumped at the voice from behind. She quickly turned around to see who it was.

There was a beautiful woman standing on the grass. She had wavy blonde hair which was tied back with a green bow. She looked to be in her twenties, and was dressed in long, emerald green robes with some gold embroidery. The evening light washed over the contours of her face and clothes in just the right places.

The lady walked down to Sakura and sat next to her. "I've seen you pass here often recently, but we've never actually introduced ourselves. I suppose you are a new resident of this city."

Sakura was dumbfounded. It had been two weeks and nobody had tried to make friends with her — outside of Momoko's circle, at least. Sakura appeared out of nowhere, and her presence was a very mysterious one to most citizens.

Sakura blushed, realizing that she was staring — both at the woman's beauty and at the friendly gesture. Sakura quickly remembered her manners. "Um, ah... I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance," she said as she bowed her head.

"My name is Minoru. Otherwise known as Elf of the Vines."

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Elf?"

"It is unclear whether we are descended from angels or demons." Minoru sighed. "Humans, elves, sprites... there are so many terms."

"Yeah, even the books don't order it very well," Sakura said. She paused. "I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be."

"Interesting." Minoru roamed her blue eyes over Sakura's physique. "So you're not a complete human, and you're from another world?"

The kunoichi was shocked. "How...how did you know I was from another world?" Sakura sputtered.

Minoru laughed in a rich voice. "I just made a good guess from the nature of your aura. I won't go any further on that matter. Where do you live?"

"Up that mountain. That house there." Sakura pointed at the mansion.

A lightly surprised yet somewhat happy reaction came from the elf. "Oh, on _that_ mountain?" she asked. "Well, I guess we're neighbors of sorts, then. Let's walk home; your guardians must be getting worried now."

"Oh, yeah!" Sakura said, realizing how late it already was. Then she glanced at her heavy bag.

Minoru smiled. "I can carry it for you."

"Oh, no!" Sakura exclaimed. "Um, I mean, I need the weight for exercise." She took the bag and, somehow, pulled the straps over her shoulders. It wasn't a very good backpack: the straps dug in, making painful blisters underneath her red dress. Then again, maybe the bag was not meant to carry six textbooks.

"You will shrink to half your size if you keep putting weight on your back like that. I am taking something." Minoru yanked Sakura's bag open and pulled out three textbooks. Sakura was surprised at the open gesture, but gratefully accepted it. Minoru was not switching the valuable books for something else, and neither did she have malevolent vibes coming out of her — Sakura somehow felt that the elf was trustworthy.

Their conversation slid onto the junior tournament as they hiked up the mountain. Minoru already knew that Sakura was entered in the junior tournament. The names of all the contestants had already circulated throughout the city, much to the kunoichi's surprise and dismay. 'So that was why I've been getting weirder looks than usual around the town square: the mysterious human who 'beat' Jura is entering. Oh joy.'

Sakura and Minoru stopped at the gates of the Fuuma residence. The elf handed Sakura the books. "Are you sure you can get to the house like that?"

Sakura nodded with a smile. "I can totally handle it. Don't worry." She walked carefully but gracefully through the gate, which closed behind her on its own. "Good night, Minoru-san! Thank you!"

"Sakura-san!" Minoru called out in front of the gates. Sakura turned around. Minoru seemed to fidget a little. Her face seemed a little red as she stuttered. "Um... Whenever you need help, just know that I am near. My house is down that road, around the big maple tree."

"Okay! See you later!" Sakura called back. She rung the bell, and the door was opened by a few children, welcoming Sakura back into their home.

* * *

Sakura was flipping through the books. It was getting late.

- Ki, otherwise known as chi, chakra, or aura, relates to the spiritual energy of a living being. -

'I already know that from Ninja Academy!' Sakura thought. 'Fast forward!' She went to the middle of the book.

- In the year 6718, an electronic book fell through a wormhole. This book was _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Off its vast information, scientists of our dimension were able to make great advances in space-time technology and reach other dimensions. The serendipitous appearance of this book also added a new chapter in philosophy, saying that the Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42. -

'Too forward.' Sakura turned back a wad of paper. **'What the hell is that supposed to mean? FORTY-TWO?'**

- The nature of spiritual energy differs according to the nature of the living being. The division between angel, human, and demon is the simplest and most primitive categorization. However, some beings are not so clean-cut to fall into any single category. For example, elves possess magic potential, live longer than humans, but are probably not related to either demon or angel. -

"Now we're getting somewhere," Sakura mumbled.

* * *

Sakura yawned. She realized that she had fallen asleep while studying. Her back felt stiff and terrible after being hunched over a desk.

'This chair is way too comfortable for studying. And there's so much to catch up on in a new dimension!'

She heard some noises from outside. She turned out her reading light and crept up to the window to see what it was.

The streets were empty.

'Or so it seems,' Sakura thought. A thirst for adventure was at hand, a habit she picked up from Naruto. Sakura double-checked that she had all her weapons before opening the window. She jumped out of her two-story window and landed on the ground. The kunoichi then slipped through the gates as quietly as she possibly could.

She walked around the tall fences of the property, looking for whatever or whoever was there. She drew out a kunai as she heard small laughter behind her. Without turning her head, Sakura addressed the creature. "Who are you, and what are you doing around the Fuuma residence at this time of night?"

The laughter faded. "I ask you the same, human."

Sakura slowly glanced back, seeing that there was a dwarf behind her. He had brown hair and was about four feet tall. There was a large battle-axe strapped to his back.

"You have no reason to fear me, young lady. You are not my target."

The dwarf passed by Sakura. Sakura felt a strange vibe coming out of him. His aura was so weak that it seemed almost nonexistent. How was he even walking?

Sakura turned around. "Wait. What do you mean, _target_?"

"That is no matter of your concern," the dwarf replied. "Besides, a girl your age shouldn't play a lady of the night. Think of what your parents would say."

"Don't insult me unless you want to be called 'Shorty', Shorty."

The dwarf gave a small laugh. "Never mind, I apologize for picking a quarrel with you. Let us go our ways."

Sakura watched him turn the corner around a large maple tree. She started to walk back to the mansion, but then she froze in her tracks. 'Wait a minute, isn't that where Minoru-san's house — Minoru-san!'

Sakura dashed off, running towards the tree. She heard scuffling. Then a battle roar. She turned around the corner to face a horrendous sight.

Minoru was gasping, knelling in a puddle of her own blood. She clutched her chest where there was a dark stain in her green robes. The dwarf was entangled in vines as he hovered over the crouching, green form. He slowly raised his axe to decapitate the elf.

'Oh, God, NO!' Sakura burst into the scene and threw three shuriken. One of them hit and sunk into the sphenoid bone of the dwarf's skull. The axe missed Minoru and clattered to the ground.

Sakura just realized that she made the dwarf brain-dead. She wanted to hurl — and then the dwarf and the axe cracked. The dwarf fell, turning into a broken statue.

"Minoru-san!" Sakura ran to the elf, who was still bleeding and very real.

"Tha...Thank you, Sakura-san..." Minoru winced. "The wound isn't very deep, I can handle it myself now."

"No, Minoru-san, I'm helping. I have bandages and some medical training." Sakura started to undress the top of Minoru's robes.

"Um, Sakura-san, I don't think you should —"

"Minoru-san, you're hurt, and besides, we're both girls! There's nothing to be ashamed —" Sakura grabbed at the shirt, and then froze at what she felt.

Minoru's chest was completely flat.

Sakura's eyes were wide. "You... you're a... man?"

Minoru sighed. "Yes, I am of the male gender. Now that that's all clear, you might as well go on."

Sakura recovered from the shock and pulled away the bloodied shirt from the wound. The kunoichi gulped as she pulled out her medical kit and started to clean up his chest, which was a very fine chest indeed. The wound turned out to be only a shallow cut, so she could easily bandage him up with her gauze and tape.

Sakura helped Minoru up, and he leaned on her as they wanted to his house. He insisted that he didn't need it, but Sakura was afraid that he might faint from the loss of blood.

"What was that, anyway?" Sakura asked. "It looked like an earth clone of sorts, or those angel guards on the third floor of the library."

"Not quite," Minoru said. "The library's guards are earth-angels — they can materialize into earth, and then turn back into their humanoid forms."

"Hmpf. I knew that there was something wrong with that last guard." Sakura rubbed her forehead. "But the dwarf... I mean, the thing that attacked you... it turned into a statue rather than dirt."

"That was a ghost within a hollow shell. There are some advanced forms of magic that give temporary life to a statue of clay, which can be used as a killing machine."

The human girl frowned. "Sounds disgusting."

"It is. The magic is forbidden, for it requires a sacrifice: a soul of a newly dead person must be implanted into a ceramic statue. This has happened to me before — being attacked by statues, I mean — and I was able to defeat each one that came my way. But tonight, I underestimated matters... I thought I could get by with just my plant powers."

"Why are you on a hit list?" Sakura asked. There was a tiny quaver in her voice. There was the possibility that Minoru was a dangerous criminal like Uchiha Itachi — but there were no evil vibes from him. So...what?

"I cannot tell you about it," he quietly said. "You might end up becoming a target as well. Perhaps some other time."

The two reached the steps of his doorway. He touched his fingers on the doorknob, and a faint click was heard. 'Wow, knobs that recognize the owner,' Sakura thought. 'That must be some intricate magic.'

"I can walk on my own now, Sakura-san." He loosened the arm which was draped around her shoulders. And then he did something which was completely unexpected to the girl: he embraced her.

Sakura's green eyes widened.

"I owe you my life, Sakura-san," the elf said as he held her. "If you hadn't saved me then and there, then I would most probably be dead now."

He let her go, and she saw true gratitude in his blue eyes. But there was a strange crease in his eyebrows, lasting just a second. It showed some sort of sadness... of longing?

"Good night, Minoru-san." Sakura turned away as the door closed. 'Why do I feel so odd?'

Strangely enough, Minoru thought the same thing as he lay in bed that night.


	9. Retraining

"Dimensional Exchanges" by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Alas, the first round of the tournament is the NEXT chapter, not this one. It's just that I wrote the fight scene first because I was excited to do it, and then discovered that I needed to explain Sakura's preparation for it. In addition, it's not been very clear so far about what potential, and obstacles, Sakura has in this new dimension.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback))

-Writing-

Chapter 9: Re-training

* * *

"What?" Sakura asked Yuri. '**This really sucks! SHANNAROOOO!' **Inner Sakura yelled.

"Sorry, Sakura, but your genetics are one-of-a-kind," Yuri replied. Sakura had confronted Yuri, since her persona as Angel Lily made her the most knowledgeable of the love-angels in the science of spiritual energy. "Although your mother and father received their powers at the ages of twelve and thirteen, they only received them under extraordinary circumstances: mainly, they were both humans living in the human realm, and were caught in the cross-fire during the Great War." Yuri sighed, and continued. "The other halves of their blood awakened when angels and demons appeared in the human realm. It was only sheer coincidence that their powers acted up at all.

"You, Sakura, have a fourth each of angel blood and demon blood. Under normal circumstances, they would act against each other, which was why you were unusually weak as a baby. Then as you grew up in the Shinobi world, your mixed blood settled down — now the angel and demon blood cancel each other out, instead of killing you. Your angel and demon blood are unusable. They are also undetectable because the 50 percent of human blood cover up the other two."

Sakura caught on. "You mean, like a genotype such as colorblindness... They don't show up if there's a more dominant gene next to it."

"Sort of. There is a tiny possibility that you have potential of using divine or demonic forces. But right now, you are a normal human, and can only develop your human ki and martial skills."

Sakura was frustrated, to say the least. Was there no value of being one-fourth angel and one-fourth demon at the same time? Her genome sequence, as it turned out, was a weakness rather than a strength. After all that chaos of coming into a new dimension and learning of her blood ancestry, she still was a human. And a weak human at that.

"Thank you, Yuri-san. I'll excuse myself now." Sakura got up from her chair, and walked off.

"Where are you going, Sakura?"

"Outside. To climb trees."

* * *

Sakura slumped to the ground. She was exhausted. There were no blasted-out footprints on the tree trunk like what Sasuke had made during their team's first attempt at the tree-climbing exercise.

But her current progress did not go any higher than six feet. Sakura's human chakra — the chakra she was so used to in the Shinobi world — was severely weakened in this realm.

The kunoichi panted. 'This complicated things a bit.' She ran up the tree again.

A net of pain embraced her skull on the forth step, and she fell. She twisted her body in the air and landed on her feet. 'At least I still can control the chakra I have,' she thought.

Sakura worked at the dojo during the morning and read books about chakra at night. There were accounts of humans developing their human chakra until they could make ki blasts, nearly matching the fighting abilities of a celestial being. Like in the Shinobi World, even humans in this dimension could do something with aura — but such a feat took months, even years, of training, and Sakura had only two weeks until the junior tournament. At least she was trained to use chakra long before she came here.

"God damn it," she muttered as she glared at the trunk. She shook her head, eliminating her frustration. Concentration was the key to this endeavor.

By that evening, her kunai scratched the trunk at eight feet.

Minoru walked by the Fuuma residence and peered through its gates. He had not seen Sakura for four days — not since that night's attack. The elf wondered whether she was intentionally avoiding him.

'She probably thinks that I'm some sort of dangerous fugitive,' he thought to himself. 'Or she's mad at me for tricking her into thinking I was a woman.'

He glanced through the bars, and saw to his amazement that Sakura was climbing trees — without her arms. She was running toward a large tree and literally sprinting upwards.

"Argh!" The kunoichi slashed the bark with her kunai, marking nine feet. Her face looked like she was in pain, even though she only had a few scratches here and there on her body. She landed gracefully on the ground like a cat.

The elf stared, dumbfounded with his hands glued to the bars. Sakura panted, clutching her head. He then saw her collapse.

"Sakura-san!" Minoru pulled open the gates and ran across the lawn. Who cared if he wasn't invited on this property — it was their fault for having the bell on the front door instead of at the gate.

Sakura was lying in a jumbled mess on the lawn. Minoru knelt down to her. He first thought that she was unconscious, but then he looked closely at her hands. Her fists were shaking, tightly holding some grass. Her fingernails were stained green with chlorophyll.

Minoru put his hand on her back. "Sakura-san, are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I'm training," a muffled voice answered him.

Minoru coughed uncomfortably. "Um, Sakura-san... about that night..."

A soft, watery sniff came from her.

"I never intended to deceive you... I mean, I do sort of cross-dress... Um, well..." He became increasingly nervous. 'I am so terrible at this!'

"No, it's not that." Sakura got up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm just a little frustrated with the tournament coming up, that's all."

"Oh." Pause. "You know, that is my first time to see a human use ki for a purpose other than spells, and blasting out spheres of energy."

(( Naruto and Sasuke charged, each determined to best the other. The former had a spinning blue Rasengan, and the latter held a bright Chidori.

"STOP!" Sakura screamed as she ran between them. ))

Sakura banished the memory away. "I don't have enough chakra to do THAT."

She stood up and turned back to the tree, correcting her posture. Her eyes closed. Her hands folded into the sign of the Tiger. She felt a tiny stream of chakra flowing through her feet.

Minoru observed the serenity in her face. She looked like a priestess.

The kunoichi opened her eyes, and the elf was startled at the quick change: they held a brightness and fierce determination which he had never seen before in a human girl her age. Sakura ran up the tree, reaching ten feet before she slashed the trunk. She tucked, curled, and rolled in the air, then landed next to Minoru.

"Ow. I go up a meter, though!" She grinned.

'She'll be okay,' he thought to himself.

Two weeks later, she reached thirty feet — half of what she could do in the Shinobi World.

* * *

It was the night before the tournament. The children, Mrs. Suzuki the cook, and Sakura were already in bed.

Yousuke frowned as he read the line-up sheet. "Sakura's in for the first match?" he asked.

"Yes. The letter came this morning," Momoko said. The pink-haired woman sat at the kitchen table and sipped some herbal tea.

Yousuke fumed. "And her first match is with none other than Cardella, heir to the vampires. I'd say this match was personally fixed by some bureaucratic piece of ass!" There was a visible crease forming where Yousuke's hands held the paper.

"Probably. It does tip the scales a bit. If Sakura loses in the first round..."

"This isn't fair; we should file a complaint!"

"No, Yousuke. It's too late now. And even if we do, the people will easily counter-argue that we're practicing favoritism."

"Damn the people!" he exclaimed. Momoko shushed him, pointing upwards. There where were sleeping children on the second floor. He angrily (yet quietly) muttered, "I'd say that the committee is taking the other extreme of making something impossible."

"Yousuke." Momoko remained firm. "Sakura is not entering the tournament just for the committee. She wants to prove to everybody that she is no weakling, and is worthy of respect. In fact, putting up the standards will be helpful to Sakura. If she can win this match, then the reasons for deporting her will nullify. Even if she loses the rounds that come afterwards, simply defeating Cardella with only human powers would be an astounding achievement."

"What if Cardella is too strong, though?" Yousuke asked.

"...Then we will have no choice but to move to the human realm for the time being."

Yousuke thought about it for a while.

"Should we tell Sakura about this?" Momoko asked.

Yousuke smiled. "There's no need. She'll win the first round." But Momoko saw the tiny hint of worry in his eyes.

* * *

Sakura had trouble falling asleep that night, so she decided to read a very boring book in bed. She conked out immediately, but her well-intended efforts seemed to go to pieces when she woke up naturally at four a.m.

"No, I don't want an early wake-up today," she moaned in the covers. It was usually delicious for her, to wake up early and simply lie in bed until the sun rose. But with the tournament fresh in her mind, she attempted and miserably failed to fall back into the desired slumber.

'I don't even have all my chakra back. At least I can use a little, but I would have to be damn efficient with it if I used any at all. Oh, this stupid, stupid dimension! Calm down, calm down, you're overreacting you're overreacting you're overreacting... Just stay in bed and rest if you can't fall asleep.'

The dreaded six o'clock came up. Time for breakfast. She had to be at the arena by seven sharp. 'I probably look like a mess right now...'

Sakura forced herself to eat a bowl of oatmeal. She knew that it was just the nervousness which was decreasing her appetite. She cringed, thinking of her early days of vanity and dieting. **'I was a NINJA, for crying out loud! Of course I was so friggin' slow in missions, I had no energy! I needed FOOD!'** But the days of being a genin taught her a lot about how health and beauty tied to each other: eat enough and well, and use less make-up. Now, Sakura simply watched what she ate, and used chapstick and healing cream as her cosmetics.

As she grudgingly chewed her breakfast, Umi, the water sprite of the family, bounced up to Sakura. She was up unusually early for a Saturday.

Little Umi became attached to the pink-haired genin, for Sakura was the only person outside of Momoko and Yousuke to acknowledge her. Umi reminded Sakura of her younger days when she was a crybaby and was teased a lot, and so Sakura became a protective older sister of sorts.

"Sakura-oneechan! Look, look!" The sprite with the light blue hair held out her hands. A finely shaped ice sculpture rested on the palms — it was a little rough, but it resembled like a tree of winter, weighed down by icicles and glistening in the light.

"Wow, Umi-chan, did you make that yourself?" Sakura was not in the mood to talk with children now, but she knew that this was a big event for Umi. The water-sprite was starting to develop her water powers.

"Yeah! I don't know how, but I was washing this morning and I could freeze the water. Not very much...just a few drops here and there... but I made a tree out of it! You like it?"

The branches of the ice tree began to melt and drip.

Umi wailed. "Oh, no!"

"It's okay, Umi-chan." Sakura patted the sprite's head. "It was enough for me to see it. It means that you're growing. Now go back to bed."

"Can you read me something?"

"No, not this morning, kidlet. The tournament's today." Saying that last sentence restarted the butterflies in her stomach.

"Okay." Umi shuffled off, dragging her nightgown. She turned around. "Um, Sakura-oneechan...you'll kick butt!" She clamped a hand over her mouth, surprised at her own boldness. Umi ran off, and then tripped on her nightgown. "Kya!"

"Umi-chan, are you okay?" Sakura asked in concern.

Umi got up, brushed herself off, and grinned at Sakura. She was personally relieved that she didn't get a scolding, like her teachers at school gave to other students. "I'm okay. When I grow up, I'm gonna be strong and pretty as Sakura-oneechan!" She walked carefully this time, and went back to bed.

Sakura felt grateful for Umi's compliment. But it sure as hell didn't help that jolt in her stomach. 'Kidlet, you haven't even seen me fight before...'

* * *

Sakura was shivering for a long time in her seat. She first thought that she was cold and put on her overcoat. When that didn't help, she realized just how nervous she was. It was the first round for the junior tournament. She was up for the first fight. Against someone named 'Cardella'. That name sounded powerful, like 'Orochimaru'.

A tremor went down her spine. 'No, don't think about him! I can be like Tsunade-sama: strong, and with a calm mind.' She did some breathing exercises. Suddenly the noise of chatting people in the stands died down, at least in her own mind. She still was nervous, but this was her fight.

'My fight. No matter what happens, I will remain cool, calm, and collected... Naruto was also the first to fight in the final tournament of the Chuunin exams. Naruto, give me your strength. Sasuke-kun, give me your focus.' Sakura breathed. 'Lee-san, I'll do my best!'

Yousuke, Momoko, Scarlett, Hinagiku, and Yuri were sitting together in the front row stands. There was an empty seat on each side of Yuri.

A man walked down the stairs. He had long, straight blond hair and had the face of a compassionate and honorable knight. He was dressed in lavender angel robes and wore a blue turtleneck underneath.

"Viento, Wedding Peach, I salute you," he said respectfully. "Angel Salvia, Angel Daisy, likewise." He walked to Yuri, and sat down next to her. He lifted Yuri's hand up to his lips, whispering, "And you, Angel Lily, my wife."

Yuri smiled. "Limone-sama. Your kendo and fencing classes are off this morning?"

"Do they have to be that mushy in public?" Yousuke loudly whispered to Momoko.

"I heard that, FUUMA," Limone said to his former soccer goalie, and turned back to his wife. "All classes were cancelled this morning because of this tournament. It didn't make much sense, since the better students are entered in, of course, and the others wanted to witness the event. Apparently, there is quite a variety of warriors this year."

"And Sakura is in, of course," Scarlett said in her Angel Salvia uniform. Angel Salvia was the best warrior on Momoko's love-angel team, and she was eager to see what Momoko's daughter could do.

Ten minutes later, a raven-haired man in a plaid shirt and smart khaki pants clanged down the stairs, and stumbled into the seat next to Hinagiku.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" Takurou adjusted his glasses. "Sorry, Hinako-chan," he said as he pecked her on the cheek. He often called her pet names like 'Hina-chan' or 'Hinako', even though her real name was Hinagiku. Probably because he loved and feared her at the same time.

"Lots of people were glaring at us for having an empty seat," Hinagiku huffed. "You'll have to do something for me later." Takurou sighed in defeat. She then whispered in his ear, which gave his face a slow burn.

"Hinako!" Takurou squeaked. She grinned.

* * *

Notes:

"Umi" - means 'sea' or 'ocean'.

"Onee-chan" - means 'older sister' in an endearing form. "Nee" is the base for 'older sister'. But the prefix 'o-' is an endearment form, as well as the suffix '-chan'.

"Limone" – Italian for 'lemon.' Really. Limone in the Wedding Peach series is a bishounen — even though his arch-enemy, the demon Pluie, is even hotter...

"Scarlett" - Scarlett's full human name is Scarlett O'Hara. Of course, this is a reference to _Gone With the Wind_ by Margaret Mitchell.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please tell me! If I suck, by all means tell me. In an intelligent manner.


	10. First Round!

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

It also seems like Minoru-kun is getting a tiny fan-club. Sorry, but he's not in this chapter!

This chapter will feature a lot of action and strategy, so read more and more carefully as the fight progresses. I hope it suits your tastes, dear readers!

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 10: First Round!

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Ninth Annual Junior Battle Tournament!" The announcer's voice blasted out. "First match: Cardella of the Vampires versus Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura got up from her seat. She walked past the other contestants with a pale, expressionless face. The doors closed behind her as she met the fresh air and the cheers of a crowd.

The arena was huge: it was a little larger than what Konoha used for the Chuunin exams. Sakura saw her opponent, Cardella, on the other end of the arena.

Cardella did not resemble a vampire like what Sakura saw in the library books. Her skin was pink and natural-looking, and a few silver trinkets laced her neck. She wore a tight black dress with rips all in suggestive places, not looking 'junior' at all.

'She looks a little gothic, but she seems like a nice girl,' Sakura thought to herself.

The vampire gave a sadistic grin, revealing a set of pearly white teeth with fangs.

'Then again, banish that thought.' Sakura gave a small smile back, determined to show that she was not afraid.

Scarlett gave a tiny grin of excitement from the stands. 'Show me what you have, daughter of the legendary Love-Angel, Wedding Peach.' She had a feeling that this was going to be good.

"Now remember," the referee said to both of them. "You are not going to kill. Only when one of you surrenders or is unconscious is the match over. Your vital signs are being monitored by the medic team. Got it? NO KILLING."

"Of course," the vampire purred.

Sakura rolled her eyes. **'Like hell you think that.'**

The arena became silent.

"READY...GO!" The whistle blew.

The two charged at each other. Cardella pulled out a thin sword, and Sakura took out two kunai. The pink-haired kunoichi deflected the sword with one, and stabbed her arm with the other.

The vampire jumped back, smirking.

Sakura looked at the wound on the girl's pale arm. The skin around it started to pull back together, healing slowly but surely.

Sakura stared at her opponent, who smiled back. "When one is a vampire, the body must preserve whatever blood supply it has," Cardella said casually. She held up her ancient sword, which was slightly out-of-shape and scratched in odd places. "Please allow me and my blade taste your sweet Fountain of Youth. You have so much of that tasty drink, and can make more of it — and I can't make any on my own." Her face turned into a fake pout.

Sakura's voice dripped with venom. "You can't scare me."

"Oh?" Cardella smiled. She loved a challenge. "We'll see about that!" She charged again.

Sakura held back the slashes of steel with her kunai. 'Weird,' Sakura thought. 'She's not attempting to give close, large blows. She's aiming for my limbs — but it's as if she's trying to scratch them, not chop them off. Is she trying to make me bleed until I faint? No... even if I bleed, a sword like that wouldn't be able to go deep enough. Unless she stabs a vital area with it, of course — and she's not even doing any stabbing moves!'

Cardella scratched Sakura's cheek with the tip of her blade. Sakura winced, which gave the vampire time to slash her arm and hip. The two jumped away from each other.

The young kunoichi looked at her wounds. As Sakura had predicted, the sword didn't go very deep. She was bleeding, but not very quickly. **'What is she going to do, SCRATCH me to death?'**

"That was all I needed," the vampire said as she licked the blade. "It is very sweet with youth. Although tinged with a slight bitterness. I presume you were rejected by... oh, say, a past love?"

Indignation flashed across Sakura's face.

Momoko's face creased into worry as she watched the scene. "Sakura!"

'No!' Sakura mentally slapped herself. 'Calm down. What's past is past. I have a battle to do NOW.' The kunoichi returned to her battle stance. "You talk too much," she said.

"You are absolutely right," the vampire said. "I am chit-chatting excessively. This is when the real fun begins." Cardella raised her sword, holding the hilt of her sword with both hands. She started the chant. "My lovely pets living in the lakes and rivers, here is the blood you shall hunt down!"

Cardella stabbed the blade into the ground, held it for a few seconds, and pulled it out. She put it back in her sheath, saying, "I won't need that anymore."

Sakura was confused. Was that a spell of sorts?

A drop of blood from Sakura's arm fell to the ground. It created a dark, brown speck. Three seconds later, the darkened area turned into a gray mud. A leech popped out, its slimy mouth sucking the liquid from the medium.

"What the hell!" Sakura yelled out as she jumped away from the leech.

"It is futile to run," Cardella said. "I told them to go after your blood. Give up, Human! As time passes, larger and faster leeches will arise, attracted to you. You'll get caught, and eventually faint from blood loss." She smirked. "Of course, I'd rather finish you off, but the rules of this junior tournament say otherwise."

Sakura ran towards Cardella. She took out a few shuriken and threw them at the vampire. Leeches oozed out along Sakura's pathway.

"No use! I am too fast for you!" The vampire laughed, dodging the shuriken. Then she noticed that Sakura had disappeared. 'Those shuriken were a distraction?' She looked up.

Sakura was in the air, throwing a kunai at the vampire. Cardella jumped back, and the kunai imbedded itself where she had been just a second ago.

Sakura landed, and then jumped again, using a small amount of chakra in her legs. Mud rose to the surface around Sakura's newest footprint, and out of it three fat leeches appeared. 'She's right,' the kunoichi thought, 'they are getting faster.'

The pink-haired ninja threw a few more kunai while in the air, all of which Cardella evaded smoothly. Flecks of red sprinkled on the ground, where additional wet mounds of brown and gray rose up.

Sakura repeated throwing the kunai, until all nine were stuck in the ground.

The vampire licked her lips. "You're out of weapons now, Haruno. Now what?"

Sakura sped around Cardella, making a dusty circle in the air. The kunoichi put a little chakra in her legs as she moved: she switched back and forth from a solid image into a blurred image, on-and-off.

Sakura panted; her reserves of aura were getting drained. The ground became muddier and muddier, with the bloodsuckers sprouting out like bean-plants.

Sakura's form spun around the vampire, sometimes disappearing and reappearing in unexpected places. She grabbed Cardella with her left hand, landed a punch with her right, and repeated it in different places. The empty-handed offensive finished with a grappling technique: she grabbed Cardella's ankle from behind and lifted it up, causing the vampire to fall.

A shot of pain went through Sakura's head. Her chakra was reaching its limit. Cardella, on the ground, used this opportunity to kick Sakura in the solar plexus, sending the kunoichi flying in the air.

Sakura somehow twisted her body in the correct manner and skidded on the ground with her feet. She stood up, her arm and hip covered in blood. She took one jump backward.

A leech with the thickness of a sausage burst out of the spot she had leapt off. Sakura stood delicately on one foot, taking huge gasps.

Cardella stood back up, her head held high. "You have no chance against me! Surrender now!"

Sakura breathed, looked up, and smirked. "Why don't you?"

A sudden dizziness hit Cardella. A familiar feeling overcame her: a craving for blood. 'What? I had raw meat this morning. I shouldn't feel like this!'

"What happened?" Yousuke asked Momoko.

Momoko's eyes were wide as she watched the scene. "I...I don't know..."

'I feel so weak...' Cardella trembled. She peered down, and saw in horror that leeches were slowly crawling up her leg. "My leeches! What is the meaning of this!"

Yuri, weak at the sight of any slimy creatures, turned pale in the stands as she saw the bloodsuckers squirming on the vampire's ankles.

"To the leeches, you're a bigger target than I am," Sakura called out. "Didn't you notice the pattern of my kunai?"

Cardella examined her surroundings. She stood in the middle of a circle of upturned dirt and mud. Eight kunai were imbedded in various places, but Cardella was at the very center of them.

Sakura held up her left hand, and showed Cardella her palm. There was a deep wound in it. The vampire's eyes widened.

Scarlett immediately understood the strategy behind it all. 'Good thinking, Sakura,' the love-angel thought. 'You stabbed yourself with the kunai and planted them around Cardella, so that the leeches would more likely come in that range. Then you dripped your own blood around her surroundings, stuck some on her body, and ran off.'

Cardella remembered the punches and that ankle-lift Sakura gave her. The kunoichi's grasp had indeed felt wet and sticky, now that she thought back to it. Her vision turned blurry.

"But you are covered in more blood than me!" she screamed. "My leeches don't miss any drop of blood on the ground!"

"Right now, I'm not actually standing on the ground," Sakura explained. She lifted up the toes on her right foot to reveal what was underneath: the ninth kunai, vertically thrust into the earth.

"I'm perching on the first kunai I threw. It is completely sterile of blood. After I threw it and landed, I stabbed myself with the remaining kunai and threw them towards you. You dodged them — but they were never intended to actually hit you in the first place. They were just road-signs for the leeches. I then marked your body with my blood, jumped back on the clean kunai, and waited for the leeches to do the rest."

Cardella screamed as bigger leeches sprouted around her, grabbing hold of her and twisting around her legs.

Her opponent sighed. "It seems like your leeches only care about food. Once a leech attaches itself to a surface, it won't let go for a while. Even your healing abilities as a vampire is no match for the hunger of your so-called pets.

"...In other words, I used your own attack against you."

Blood was visibly draining from Cardella's face. She gave a last shriek of anger, and fainted to the ground. The leeches started to crawl over her body, sensing Sakura's blood.

"She's unconscious; let's go!" the head medic barked. The team appeared next to the fall vampire in a flash. One earth-angel nurse summoned a large mound of salt and dumped it on the squirming leeches. The salt effectively dehydrated them. The medics pulled off the slimy dead masses and lifted the now very white Cardella on a stretcher. They flew the girl up to the emergency ward of the stadium.

Scarlett was impressed — a rare reaction out of her normally critical nature. "Amazing efficiency," she said aloud to her teammates. "Like a true assassin."

Meanwhile, the pink-haired kunoichi wobbled. It was hard to keep balance on the ringed-handle of a kunai. In addition, she couldn't believe what had just happened.

The words rung throughout the stadium like a trumpet ovation. "Winner: Haruno Sakura!"

The stands were silent for a while. Not many people had seen a human defeat a vampire before. Many a committee member was in shock.

Scarlett, Yousuke and Momoko started clapping. Yuri, Limone, Hinagiku joined in, and it spread. Then the sound turned into a loud applause.

The referee floated over to Sakura and lifted her up from her now sinking kunai. The leeches were starting to dive back into the ground, abandoning the arena for their original homes.

"I...I won?" Sakura asked the angel referee.

"Yes, human," he said to her with a smile. "Well done."

Sakura fainted.

"Sakura!" Momoko exclaimed as she stood up.

Yousuke pulled her down. "Don't worry, she just passed out from the fact that she won."

Hinagiku nodded. "She'll feel like a million bucks when she comes to. Yeah, Sakura! Go get 'em!"

"Please excuse my short absence," Yuri politely said as she got up to go to the bathroom. She was very happy at Sakura's win, but the leeches...

Scarlett turned to Momoko — her teammate, leader, and friend. "Wedding Peach, you can be very proud of your daughter."


	11. Enter Potamos

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 11: Enter Potamos

* * *

Sakura was among the thirty-two finalists. She had three days to rest and train before her next fight.

The pink-haired genin woke up in a bed. Momoko sat in a chair nearby, wringing the water out of a small towel over a basin. "Hello, Momoko," Sakura managed to groan out. Her body ached all over. She noticed that she was in her room of the Fuuma residence. "Did I pass out?"

"Yes. That battle was amazing, Sakura." Momoko laid the wet towel on Sakura's smooth forehead. "You surprised many people. The other matches of the first round are going, now as we speak."

"There are still more rounds, though." Sakura let out a sigh. "And I guess you won't let me go see the other matches. I want to see what the others can do."

"Don't worry about being prepared for the next rounds. We'll get you something that will help. But today, you need to _rest_."

A tiny knock was heard from the door. Momoko got up to see who it was: Umi, hugging a small book. Her sky-blue hair was in a short French-braid.

"Mommy, is Sakura-oneechan okay?"

"Yes, Pumpkin, she's fine and awake," Momoko said. "You want to come see her?" Umi answered by scuffling in the room.

"Hi, Umi-chan," Sakura weakly said. "I guess you want me to read, right?"

The little girl smiled and nodded.

"Umi, Sakura needs to rest now," Momoko said. "She's gone through a big fight." Umi's eyes looked down in disappointment.

"No, no!" Sakura insisted with a smile. "It's not as if I'm sick or contagious; I'm just a little banged up. C'mon, Umi, you can come in bed and we'll read your book." Umi's eyes shined, and she crawled into the covers next to Sakura. 'Besides, I did kinda promise her that, once the match was over...' Sakura mused inside.

Momoko thought the matter through. Umi hadn't shown this much enthusiasm for reading before. Sakura needed to rest. And both looked at Momoko with puppy-dog eyes, looking hopelessly cute together. The love-angel sighed. "That's fine. But make sure you stay in bed, Sakura, except for going to the bathroom. I want you to rest until tomorrow morning, understood?"

The sprite and the kunoichi grinned in triumph. Momoko left the room to make some more tea. Umi quickly flipped through book and started to read — Umi read the odd-numbered pages, and Sakura took the even-numbered ones.

By the fifth chapter, Sakura noticed that Umi fell asleep against her. The tiny girl smiled as she breathed peacefully and quietly. 'Maybe this isn't such a bad dimension after all," Sakura thought to herself.

* * *

Minoru pulled his arrow across the bow, and released it. It hit the target dead-on.

He was dressed in his tan and forest-green battle uniform, looking a lot more masculine than he did in his usual robes. It made sense to train with this on: it was easier to fight in, and he could transform into it whenever he pleased. He avoided wearing the gear in public, though. It always brought unwanted attention. The men around him would grow sullen or antagonistic. The women, especially the young girls — Minoru shuddered at the memory of what happened to him in the first (and last) tournament he entered.

Of course, nobody saw him as he practiced; everybody was attending the matches of the first round. True to his word, he had seen Sakura's fight, but only hers. Rarely did he have the chance to train in full armor with nobody watching, and today was one of them.

The elf took out three arrows from his quiver. He drew all three shafts across his bow, instilling a little chakra into the feathered ends through his fingers.

A single pencil-thin branch on the great oak caught his eye. He aimed at it and released. Two of the arrows hit the branch, making it oscillate wildly. The third arrow missed, and instead flew through the branches and stabbed itself into the trunk.

'Damn, I'm getting rusty,' he thought. He walked to the tree and collected the arrows.

Minoru found Sakura to be... peculiar. He had almost panicked when Sakura discovered his secret. Instead, she waved it off and simply accepted his friendship. Then he saw her with the tree-climbing exercise, emphasizing her bizarre nature. And the third event — this morning's fight — showed him how much of a determined warrior she was.

The tremor in his stomach returned whenever he recalled Sakura's match with Cardella. He witnessed her analytical skills and maturity in the face of a threat. That was her strength: combining limited resources with cool strategy. Sakura saw through and defeated the vampire's powerful calling spell, armed with a little ki, grappling techniques, and a few small weapons.

'Sakura-san... Are you really a thirteen-year-old human girl?' he wondered.

A mental chime entered his thoughts. Sakura was in danger. Minoru could feel someone else's blood-lust, and it was directed towards the kunoichi. He de-transformed back into his green robes, and ran off towards the Fuuma residence.

* * *

"I don't know where exactly I am...

but I at least know that she lives around here,

la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la..."

A girl with a wavy, purple bob was skipping and making up lyrics to a melody vaguely similar to "The Star-Spangled Banner." She had a pair of enormous purple-black earrings that completely cupped her ears, almost like headphones. She wore a red fairy dress, the petal-like ends draping prettily over the fluffed-up lavender shorts she wore underneath. Black sandals laced her feet, and she wore purple gloves. Her yellow eyes were a little cat-like — but otherwise, she looked like a bubbly and happy teenage girl. Her voice was so adorable that it could have come from a child. Nobody could guess that she was really a water-demon.

"Ufufufu... Sakura, human ninja, I'm gonna see if you're worthy! Yeay, yeay!" She danced a little jig as she skipped on the street where the Fuuma mansion was. It was hard to tell whether she was insane, plainly happy, or both. Minoru sure couldn't — and he just so happened to be standing right behind her.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. The voice came out of the blue, making the water-demon leap in her skin.

"Oh, pooey, someone found me," she whined. Her head turned slowly around. There stood an elf in long, green robes with a bow drawn, ready at any second to shoot an arrow into her back.

"It's not that hard, really, when such murderous intent is radiating from you," Minoru answered as he tightened his grip on the arrow. "And I also know that you're after Haruno Sakura."

"Geez, Miss, you're really good," the demon replied, not knowing that the archer was really a man. "But although I MIGHT want to kill her, I don't want to kill her NOW; if I do end up wanting to kill her, that'll be much later, so go back to minding your own business," she answered in a single breath.

Minoru looked at her in disbelief.

"...please," she ended.

The elf's forehead creased. "You are sickeningly absurd. Are you a clown by profession? Because you certainly dress like one."

"I resent that!" she shrieked. "I like dressing cute! Besides..." Minoru felt something cold and sharp touch his neck. "Why are you so concerned with Sakura yourself?"

The elf's eyes widened. The real demon stood behind Minoru, holding a tiny knife near his jugular. Meanwhile, the clone he was aiming at splashed away, falling into a puddle of water.

"Are you going to kill me?" the elf asked. His voice was terrifyingly calm, and his smile was unnatural.

"Well, I'd like to," the purple-haired demon behind him replied. She smirked. "You seem very close to the human, though, so maybe I shouldn't."

"Indeed," a voice said from behind. Sakura had appeared behind the water demon, holding a kunai at her throat. She had seen the entire incident from her window, and she was definitely not going to let her friend be murdered. The kunoichi's eyes were sharp and cold. "You kill Minoru-san, and I'll kill you."

"Wow, you're good, too," the water-demon said as she dropped the knife. "Don't worry, I have no interest in killing him, actually." She fluffed up her hair as Minoru slipped away from her reach.

Sakura remained in her spot, keeping the kunai at the demon's throat. "Who are you?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not answering unless you let me go," the purple-haired girl sang. She wasn't scared; it was obvious that Sakura was lacking in interrogation skills. Sakura jumped five feet backward. She ran next to Minoru and took a fighting stance, just in case the demon really wanted to attack them.

"Thank you!" the water-demon exclaimed cheerfully, "Because I actually don't wanna fight you now." She posed. "I am Potamos of the Suima-Zoku, and I want to go against you in the junior tournament!"

Sakura and Minoru stared.

"And why should I believe you?" Sakura spat. "You probably just want to kill me; you tried to kill Minoru-san!"

"No, no, no! Why don't people understand me! Nobody understands meeeee!" Potamos wailed as tears came into her eyes. "I just wanted to test her whether the elf also was a..." She stopped.

"Yes?" Sakura asked quizzically.

"ANYWAYS!" Potamos burst out, "Haruno Sakura, I want to fight YOU in the tournament! I saw the tournament's set-up, and if you can go far enough to meet me in the top eight, I KNOW that you'll be a worthy opponent! I'll be extremely... DISAPPOINTED... if you don't make it, okay! And if you chicken out, I WILL KILL YOU for raising my expectations unnecessarily high! So there!"

The water demon ran off, crying.

A silence ensured in the streets.

"What... was that?" Sakura murmured. **'SHE'S A LUNATIC!'**

"She's a lunatic," Minoru mumbled, oblivious to what Sakura's guts screamed out. "...What are you going to do, Sakura-san?"

The kunoichi hypothesized the possibilities.

Choice number one: Sakura loses a match. Potamos would be irritated, but would figure that Sakura wasn't as strong enough as she wanted.

Choice number two: Sakura faces Potamos. Some possibility that Potamos would kill her during the fight.

Choice number three: Sakura surrenders and drops out of the tournament entirely. Very high possibility that Potamos would hunt her down.

'Cross out choice number three,' Sakura thought. She breathed.

"I'll just do what she wants. I'll remain in the tournament, fighting my ass off. Besides, I need to prove myself to the committees." She saw the look of worry on Minoru's face.

"Hey, I'm training at the dojo during weekdays. Angel Salvia will give me private lessons starting tomorrow. It's not like I'm totally hopeless." The kunoichi proceeded to yawn. "I'm going back to bed now. Momoko will go in hysterics if she saw I left the house. See yah, Minoru-san."

"Sakura-san," Minoru stopped Sakura by grabbing her wrist. His expression was grave. "Make sure you learn as much as you can from Angels Daisy and Salvia. They're one of the top fighters among the love-angels. And I most certainly don't want you killed."

Sakura smiled, and nodded. "Thank you, Minoru-san." She slipped through the gates and, using her partially recovered chakra supply, ran up the walls into her bedroom window.

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama, the monthly report on the Fire country," Kabuto said as he dropped the papers on the desk. "It was worth ten lives of our forces."

The ninja-master picked them up. "Sasuke-kun, you can go now if you want to."

"I don't care," Sasuke said in a monotone. He was sitting on the floor in the corner, completely devoid of emotion.

Orochimaru read through the paper. Something caught his eye. His tongue licked his lips. "Hmpf, Tsunade-hime is still hesitant to name that genin a missing-nin. Right after those streaks, her precious little student vanishes... Just plain denial."

Sasuke knew about the mysterious meteor incident, but only that it happened near Konoha village. That a genin disappeared during the same time, or that Tsunade tutored the very same ninja — that part was news to him.

"Her own student has gone missing?" Sasuke sneered. "Is the Hokage really that competent?"

"Tsunade is a worthy opponent, much as I hate to admit it." Orochimaru ground his teeth. "And that STUPID Jiraiya is still hanging around Konoha..." His eyes scanned the paper, and stopped. He reread the name. 'Why does this name seem so familiar?' He glanced at Sasuke.

Then Orochimaru started laughing quietly. To top that off, he did it in Sasuke's direction, much to the young man's annoyance. 'This is rich,' Orochimaru thought.

"What?" Sasuke intoned coldly.

"You probably don't care about her anymore," Orochimaru said, "but this will teach you more about death."

* * *

Notes:

"Suima" - means 'water demon'.

"Zoku" - means 'clan'.

"Hime" - means' princess'.

Yes, Potamos is supposed to be dead. But I brought her back to life, as you can see from Salvia's comments back in Chapter Two.

And here's a little tidbit about Potamos' voice: it is very cute. How cute? I regret to say that I have only read the manga of "Wedding Peach"; I have never seen the anime. But from a little Internet research, I found out that the voice of Potamos is played by the same seiyuu of Usagi/Sailor Moon in the "Sailor Moon" series, and Excel in "Excel Saga" — Mitsuishi Kotono. So Potamos' voice is very, very cute.


	12. Memory

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

There's been a lot of questioning about what the others in the Shinobi world have been doing in this story... especially Sasuke. Okay then! I will give a little bit of attention to him in this chapter, due to popular demand — by which I mean a very devoted reader has been pestering for him to show up, and you know who you are.

Just a simple question: are there any Sakura fans out there who CANNOT stand the sasusaku pairing? Don't get me wrong; Naruto is cool, and I love Lee's passion and personality. Either of them would treat her like a lady if she went out with them. There's just something interesting about sasusaku... Don't get excited; I'm not giving any clear-cut pairings in this fic yet. This is just an invitation to suggestions.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 12: Memory

* * *

'That's right, Sasuke-kun. Swallow it. And get it over with. Friends come and go. The only thing you can put faith in is family... oh, right. You have no family.'

Orochimaru felt Sasuke's agitation through the walls. The boy was restless in his sleep.

'When it is over, you will become stronger, my pupil.' The snake-like man gave a hideous grin, and continued to walk down the hallway.

Sasuke tossed and turned in his bed. He wanted to forget that report. He wanted to become entirely ignorant of the fact that his former teammate was missing. He did not hate her while they were on the same team — and she was a friend of sorts. A little too persistent, maybe, but still a friend. Sasuke would never admit it, but he was truly worried about her.

There still was hope for her safety. No body, no murder, they say. The hunter-nin had found nothing. There was still a good chance that she was alive. Unless, of course, the largest piece of her remains could pass through the eye of a needle.

Still, being dead was better than other things, especially in this world. One could be tortured. One could be kidnapped and be sold as a slave.

'What if she were raped?' The raven-haired boy flinched at the thought. Her screams echoed in his mind.

And Sasuke wasn't able to do anything. Because he wasn't there to save her. She was always fragile, always weak. Were she alone in the wilderness, she had zero chance of surviving: rabid, hungry beasts prowled the forests, and there was always some idiotic gang who liked to pick on helpless travelers. If she was in a village or a town, the only way she could survive would be... selling her...

'NO!' his mind yelled. 'Stop thinking about those things!'

Sasuke always saw the pink-haired girl as an emblem of stability and happiness. Whenever they met, her reaction to him was always the same: the repetitious, annoying "Sasuke-kun!" that came after him. Whatever the situation, she always looked out for his well-being.

He didn't know what to think about her loyalty to him. Sasuke was eternally damned to vengeance; he had no time for companionship. Until he paid his brother back for what he did to his family, he would have no peace. Itachi could have finished him off along with the rest of them. Instead, he spared his little brother, to live — to live, and suffer, in the guilt of not dying with his family; with the morbid knowledge of his own helplessness.

Sakura... she had family. She didn't know what it was like to be abandoned.

'Okay, so maybe I did something about that when I left,' he thought. Yet she still had Naruto, Kakashi... and her parents.

Sakura begged him to stay. She sobbed pathetically, then yelled that she loved him. He threw biting words at her. She threatened to scream when he started to walk off. He performed a nerve-tap to knock her out.

That night was the last time he ever saw her. That damnable scene repeated in his mind as he rolled in the covers, trying to find a comfortable position on the bed.

Sakura never should have gotten attached to him in the first place. She had the logic and analytical skills, so why didn't she tie all those brains together with real life? There was nothing to be gained by giving him affection, especially when he made no effort to return it. He was too engaged with freeing his own conscience.

'Silly little girl,' Sasuke thought as he gripped the sheets. 'Annoying as hell. I want to...forget...'

* * *

A shudder traveled along Sakura's back. She sat in the middle of a large room. In five minutes, Scarlett, also known as the Super Love-Angel Salvia, was due to come into the empty dojo hall. This was like waiting for the first lesson with Tsunade.

The door slid open. Scarlett was in her civilian clothing.

"Good morning, Scarlett-sensei," Sakura said.

"Sakura, I want to congratulate you on your first win," Scarlett said as she walked into the room. "It especially surprised me that you already knew how to utilize ki. It was... different in the way you used it, but it was used well."

"Thank you."

The redhead walked over to Sakura, and pulled her up from the cushion she was sitting on. "Now, Sakura among the entire entrants of the tournament, your level of ki is the lowest — even lower than the pure-blood humans who are entered. Now let me explain ki attacks according to different races.

"We celestials have worked with spiritual energy for our entire lives. Pureblood humans, in contrast, literally forced their own to surface and grow, if they do any martial arts at all. And the ki you are using is entirely human energy. Either way, you have less ki and less experience."

Sakura hung her head. 'Figures,' she thought.

"However," Scarlett continued, "when you look at potential, there is a small possibility that we could tap either the angel or demonic power in your spiritual system. Therefore, I'm going to teach you kendō."

Sakura blinked. 'Kendō?' she thought, confused. 'How would a style of swordsmanship help develop my chakra?'

Scarlett grinned. "I know what you're thinking. But here's how it works. I can tell that you pent up your feelings, which is very good for battle. One should never let emotions interfere with a clear perspective — politicians and soldiers alike have problems with this. However, when it comes to developing ki attacks, emotions can be used as a power source."

(( "EAT SHIT!" Naruto screamed. He slammed a fist down the giant snake Orochimaru stood on, which was probably a thousand times his weight.

Sakura was frightened. 'Naruto... He's really out of control... But since when did he get this strong!' ))

Sakura thought this through. "Wait a minute," she voiced. "For humans, isn't that kind of power reserved only for those who had lifetime training? And my angel and demon blood is useless!"

"Celestial beings have it easier; that's true. But humans can develop it as well, and you already have some experience in using ki. If you can learn to channel a specific emotion while retaining your concentration at the same time, you will have a chance in producing ki attacks. Yes, I know it sounds contradictory: control your emotions while using them as a power source. But it works."

"So, why kendō?" Sakura asked.

"Your skills in the martial arts are good. I can tell that you've had an exceptional professor or two."

(( Gai did a thumbs up, and one of his teeth sparkled. Lee returned it with the exact same pose, with the exact same twinkle. ))

"Yes... you could say that they were... unique," Sakura said.

"However, I can see that you should specialize in the martial arts of weaponry. I'm not saying you should forget your empty-handed techniques; anything you've learned will prove useful later. But the kendō type I'm going to teach you will be a little different from the kendō you might know."

With a burst of feathers and light, the angel snapped into her battle uniform. Sakura jumped. When the light faded, Angel Salvia held her palms up. They started to glow with chakra. The aura from her hands molded and twisted itself into a beam of light, materializing into a beautiful sword. Sakura looked on in awe.

Angel Salvia held the sword up and gave a mild swing with it. It hummed lightly, melodious and hypnotizing.

"As you see, I can control my ki to make a weapon. These work just as well as metal weapons if you want to cut flesh. But they are very good if you want to channel ki attacks through them."

"But doesn't that take a lot of chakra?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, it does drain your 'chakra', as you call it." Scarlett pointed her sword at the kunoichi. "Listen to me, Sakura. There's only a small chance that this training for you will work. What we're about to do may end in failure. I've worked with half-demons and half-angels before, but you are different. You are the first human of our dimension to have an equal amount of both angel and demon blood. The only way to solve your problem... is for you to meet one of my friends."

The sword in her hand disappeared, and Angel Salvia chanted a few lines in a strange language. A door suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. Sakura stared at it.

Scarlett egged her on. "Open it. Look in."

The kunoichi did not budge. "You're not going to push me in, are you?" she asked with suspicion.

Scarlett laughed. "No. You will have to push in yourself."

Sakura twisted the knob, and peeked in the door. It was a complete black void. Where was the person that Angel Salvia was talking about? "Nobody's there," Sakura said. "I can't even feel any chakra coming out."

"You have to go in and see," Scarlett said.

Sakura walked in, taking tiny steps. She kept going, until her form disappeared completely into the abyss.

'Good luck, in whatever decision you make,' Scarlett prayed as the door closed.

* * *

It was pitch black. Sakura could only see her own body, which seemed to give off a sky-blue glow amidst the dark space.

"Hello?" she called out.

There wasn't even an echo to answer her.

"Is anybody there? Damn it, aren't I supposed to meet someone here? HELLO!"

"Hello, Sakura," a cool voice called from behind her. Sakura tensed. She knew that voice anywhere.

Floating there was a glowing image of Sasuke. His skin was clearer and paler than ever. A disgusting smirk was on his face. "You know, I wish you never came onto our team."

Sakura returned the smirk, knowing that this was just a duplicate. "You're not Sasuke," she mused.

The image continued to speak to her, using Sasuke's appearance and voice. "You were weak, and you still are. Even in this new dimension." The look-alike floated over to her.

"Don't listen to him, don't listen to him..."

"Nice try, Sakura, but all your emotions are exposed here. Stupid bitch."

"Fuck you!" Sakura replied. "Naruto was right; you are a bastard!"

"At least Naruto is stronger and has better character than you." He smiled. "You know exactly what I am, right?"

"I know, Jackass," Sakura snapped. "You're the embodiment of all my shames and fears."

"You were never good in fighting, you know that," the image pointed out. "You never were meant to be a ninja. The only reason you graduated the academy was because you were book-smart. And that was because," he snorted, "you wanted to stay with me." The Sasuke-copy laughed. "You are SUCH a moron! I bet you didn't even think that I would betray the village."

"You're right!" Sakura yelled. She knew it was stupid to argue with this duplicate as if it were Sasuke himself, but it was nice to get things off her chest. "I _was_ a silly little girl. And I see that now. But that doesn't mean I can't keep on being a shinobi."

"You always wanted security, and just that," he continued. "Whoever has that want is not fit to be a ninja. You should have married yourself off to a rich, KIND man once you graduated from Ninja Academy."

"Shut up!" she snarled.

"But do you like it?" The hallucination slowly dropped his smirk, now looking almost sympathetic. "Do you like the idea that you have to kill people? That you have to risk not only your life, but the lives of your friends? And do missions just for money?"

Sakura was silent. "No." She sighed. "I guess I don't."

"Then why are you even trying to go back to that dimension?" He crept up from behind her, and started trailing his fingertips down her arms. She shivered.

"Okay, you're definitely not Sasuke," she said. "Although that's kinda nice... Oh, why the hell do I have to say everything out loud here? It's really pissing me off; SHAANNAROO!"

"Oh, come on, you know you like it." The fake-Sasuke grinned. His hands encircled her waist. "But think about it. You're here in this dimension. Here, there is peace, and security, and moreover, you BELONG here. You were born here, you live here, you die here. The only reason why you were in the Shinobi world was because your angel and demon parents wanted to save you, you sweet little thing..." He then began to gently kiss her neck.

"Okay, now that's creepy as hell!" Sakura yelled as she brushed him off. "I can't enjoy THAT when it's so damn obvious you're NOT Sasuke!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He casually as he lifted up his hands in apology. "Anyway, I want you to consider this. The god of memory can give you something." He pointed at himself. "Actually, you're looking straight at him. I," he tossed his head, "can erase your memories of the Shinobi world."

The words took a while to sink in.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"You heard me right. The god of memory is giving you, Haruno Sakura, an offer. If you want, I can give you a clean slate. Just start over. Be happy."

"Happy?" Sakura snorted. "Your logic escapes me."

"You would have no memories of heartbreak, of loneliness, of anything from the Shinobi world."

"My friends and family over there are worried SICK!" she said. "I can't just LEAVE them there!"

"I can erase their memories as well." The god caressed her cheek. "You would start a new life here. And they will go on with their own lives."

Sakura gulped. "But... my mom and dad... I'm their only daughter."

"They would never know. They would never remember you."

Sakura's brow furrowed. "Didn't you hear me? I AM THEIR ONLY DAUGHTER! You mean that you're going to take away their experience of having a child?"

"I can place an orphan with them, and they will have the same, wonderful — and dreadful — experience of raising a kid. Besides, you know how spoiled of a girl you were."

"I wasn't spoiled!" she screamed. She paused. "Was...I...?"

The god kissed her forehead. "Of course you had your good sides that they loved. But... in their eyes, you could have been better." Using the momentary doubt on Sakura's face, his arms comfortably slipped around her form. "Why don't you start over? In a better place, where you have the chance to become stronger, be acknowledged, and moreover, have a chance to make OTHERS proud of you and rejoice in your existence. More than you ever have in that cursed Shinobi world."

"Forget...everything?" She nuzzled into the god's arms. "You can really do that?" she asked in a whisper.

"EVERYTHING. Even those awful things that Sasuke said to you." The look-alike smirked. " 'You really are annoying.' ...See? Isn't it painful when I do that?"

It did hurt. It really did hurt.

"I don't even know if I fell for Sasuke because of his looks or for himself," Sakura mumbled. "But... there's got to be a catch. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to be happy." The god stroked her pink hair. "What other point is there in being a god of memory? Everything will be fine. I erase your memories, I erase the memories and fiddle with the records over there, and you just... have a life here. Take out the bad memories, and start anew. I simply want to... ease your mind."

Sakura gazed into the god's face, or rather, Sasuke's face worn by a god. She would forget Sasuke and all the pain he caused her. She would forget all of her failures. And everybody back home would just... forget. Forget. Forget.


	13. To Admit

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 13: To Admit

* * *

The pink-haired kunoichi pulled away from the god's arms.

"No, thank you," Sakura said.

"I beg your pardon?" the god of memory asked. It was so bizarre that there was a look of hurt on the face of Sasuke, further proving that he wasn't Sasuke.

"I said, no, thank you." Sakura backed away. "As the god of memory, you should know that life always brings suffering. If you erased my memories of the Shinobi World... it's not a guarantee that I'd be any happier. I would live in this dimension, which — you are right — is more peaceful. But I would eventually fall in the depths of sorrow again. Just like what I'm doing right now." She heaved a sigh. "...But I guess that's what life is about."

"About being sad?" he scoffed. "Sounds damn depressing."

"That's not what I meant!" she said. "What I'm saying is, expect it to happen SOMETIME in your life. You experience both suffering and happiness when you truly live." She glared at him. "Thanks for your offer. It sounds great, really. But in the end, it probably won't make any difference. Nobody can create a life that is pure pain, or pure happiness. Nobody." The girl breathed, and looked straight into his eyes. "Not even _you_."

Sakura was glowing a faint blue during the entire conversation. But as she firmly gave her resolution to the god's offer, she felt two new wisps of energy touch her. They were very weak, but new nonetheless. The kunoichi looked down at her body. The sky-blue aura was still there. But waving in the blue sea of energy were two thin and fragile-looking strands: a pink one, and a green one.

The god slowly faded away. Brightness overcame Sakura's eyes.

* * *

Sakura blinked. She was back in the dojo hall. Scarlett smiled.

"Wonderful," the angel murmured. "You are truly wise for a girl your age."

"That... that..." the kunoichi stuttered. "Was that a genjutsu... an illusion? Because that was DAMN good!"

"It was no illusion," Scarlett said. "The person you met was indeed was the god of memory. When it comes to students, he is always happy to help me."

Sakura did not know what to say. She trembled with horror, digesting what kind of power she had for just a minute or so. "What would have happened if I had said 'yes'? I really could have... changed my destiny?"

"Yes. I knew perfectly well what you were getting into. If you had complied, you indeed would have lost your memory of the Ninja world. And any record of you there — whether it be papers, pictures, or people's memories — would cease to exist. Like he said, start over."

Sakura was too shaken to be mad at Angel Salvia. Instead, she asked, "Why did you allow me to... What was that FOR?"

"It made you admit that you experience pain, as well as joy. What was important is that you admit _to yourself_ that you experience them. Emotions can make you powerful. Very powerful." The red-haired beauty sighed. "...I myself drowned in hate and vengeance once," she continued. "I became a strong and ruthless warrior because of that."

'She was... just like Sasuke?' Sakura thought.

"My best friends died right in front of my eyes in the first part of the Great War... and I swore to kill all demons. Even Viento. I almost did it, fully aware that he was the lover and a close friend of my leader."

Sakura trembled. 'I can't take much more of this... Yousuke could have died... and I wouldn't have been born...'

"I'm glad now that I didn't succeed," Scarlett said. "I could have lost everything: the few friends that I had, and my very essence. Compassion, anger, depression, confidence, hate, love — feel whatever you want to feel, and use it to your own advantage. As long as it's a specific emotion, and accept that it exists. But know what it could do to your own soul."

(( Sasuke stood up, the curse slowly covering his body.

"Sasuke-kun... That body...!" Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

The raven-haired shinobi looked at black pattern on his skin. The power he felt was amazing. "No need to worry..." he said. "Because of it... more and more strength is flowing through me. Right now... I feel good. _He_ gave it to me."

"What?" Sakura was confused and frightened.

"...I have finally understood. I am an avenger... Even if I let myself be possessed by the devil, the strength I need lies in this path..." ))

'Sasuke knew... he knew...' Sakura fought hard to keep back the tears.

"Maybe I should have taken up the god's offer," the kunoichi mumbled quietly. She desperately wanted to forget Sasuke. "Maybe... maybe..."

The love-angel's face turned sympathetic. "Maybe, yes," Scarlett said as she embraced the pink-haired girl. "Maybe not. I wouldn't know. But either way, you can now use those feelings for battle."

Scarlett got up, and walked over to a nearby closet. She took out a long, wooden box. She carried it over to Sakura, who sniffed quietly. "I have a present for you. Open it."

Sakura took the heavy container and lifted its cover. Resting inside was a beautiful katana. Its blade was perfectly folded, with a graceful and deadly edge that any samurai would admire.

"This...for me?" The waver in the kunoichi's voice was evident. '**HOLY CRAP THIS IS AWESOME!'** "I...I can't accept such a valuable gift!"

The redhead angel smiled. "This will make up for all the birthdays we missed. Besides, you'll need it for bringing out your ki."

"Um, Scarlett-sensei?" Sakura said hesitantly. "I'm not supposed to kill anyone in the junior tournament... and this is too sharp."

"Didn't I just tell you?" Scarlett huffed with irritation. "It's for bringing out your ki. Take the blade out and hold it."

"Like this?" Sakura asked. She had learned a few things about kendo in Ninja Academy. Any shinobi was required to be knowledgeable in a wide variety of weapons. But this was Sakura's first practical lesson in sword-fighting. In Konoha, only those preparing to be part of the ANBU learned how to use a katana.

Scarlett came over to shift Sakura's hold a bit, as well as her stance. "All right. Close your eyes, and choose an emotion. It can be anything, as long as it is something strong."

Sakura decided to choose her sisterly love for Umi. With that, she closed her green eyes. The blue-haired sprite filled Sakura's thoughts: her cute smile, klutziness, and sweet innocence.

"Now hold that consciousness in you as you build up your ki," Scarlett instructed, "and let that energy travel through your hands, and into the hilt of the katana."

Sakura did exactly as she was told. A familiar, yet slightly modified, sensation flowed through her arms. The handle began to feel warm.

The kunoichi opened her eyes. The katana was giving off a light, blue aura. And were she not mistaken, within the blue fluttered a line of pink. It was thin and wispy, like silk fresh from the cocoon.

Sakura let out a gasp. The katana stopped glowing, returning to its original yet still magnificent appearance.

"That was a wonderful start!" Scarlett clapped her hands together, full of pride with her student. "Although you cannot make weaponry out of pure ki, you _do_ have the ability to put your ki into an already-forged weapon. When you're practicing alone, I want you to use that katana, using both ki and technical skill. You probably won't be able to use your kendō in the tournament. Your next match is in two days, anyway. But practicing kendō with your aura will unlock those closed-up doors in your mind."

The angel pulled off two bokken from a nearby rack. "Now I'll teach you actual kendō techniques. We'll work with these while I'm instructing you. Ready, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. She was excited, to say the least.

* * *

"Hokage-sama," a chuunin said as he knocked at her door. "You have a guest."

Tsunade looked up groggily. She had fallen asleep at her desk. A little drool stained a few documents. She also woke up with an enormous headache. An empty sake bottle rolled at her feet. 'Did Jiraiya give me sake again? I've gotta watch my back when that pervert's around...'

She yawned. "Who is it?"

The chuunin called through the door: "The priest of the Shinto shrine has come to give you a message."

"What kind of message?" the Hokage moaned. "There's not enough in the budget to help them with the shrine. It's their fault for taking it apart and rebuilding it every ten years, anyway." She dropped her head back down on the hard wood. The headache was killing her, and she was in desperate need of sleep.

"Um, Hokage-sama, he has says that it relates to Haruno Sakura..."

Her head shot up instantly. "Bring him in!"

The chuunin, two members of the ANBU, and the priest walked through the door. The Hokage straightened her posture and cleaned her face with her sleeve.

The priest sat himself uncomfortably in a chair in front of her desk.

Tsunade nodded to the chuunin. "Thank you. You are dismissed." He walked out of the office and closed the door.

The ANBU stayed to guard Tsunade, simply because the situation was peculiar. The priest had not arranged an appointment beforehand. Neither was it normal for him to talk with the Hokage except for planning religious ceremonies.

"Hokage-sama, I was looking through the fires these past months, and I think I know what may have happened to Haruno Sakura."

Tsunade was prepared to do almost anything. Any piece of knowledge would help in the current situation. She sighed. "How much money do you want?"

"Hokage-sama, I have enough in taking care of the shrine." Rolling his eyes was out of the question; he was a Shinto priest, and he was addressing the Hokage herself. He hacked a little to clear his throat, and proceeded. "I investigated for myself what that meteor incident was, through my fire-reading. The chakra of that so-called meteor was abnormal, and nothing like I've felt before, except maybe the Kyuubi."

"I heard a description similar to that," Tsunade said. Naruto had already told her in private about what Kyuubi thought of that chakra wave: the fox-demon did not like it, and that was already something to be reckoned with.

Naruto, Lee and Ino continuously asked Tsunade to let them search for Sakura, which she bluntly refused. The Harunos had been equally persistent in the first week of Sakura's absence. But the couple started to understand (earlier than the teenagers, at least) that they had no choice, except to trust the hunter-nin.

"Hokage-sama..." The priest fidgeted. "Through my readings, I believe Sakura is in another world."

A long pause ensued.

"Explain," she ordered.

"My interpretation skills are far from perfect... But the gods must have taken her. She may come back, but there's a large chance that she may not."

"Do you know how ridiculous this sounds?" Tsunade asked.

"I understand, Hokage-sama, but it makes sense to me. I have observed every child of this village since the Fourth Hokage died. It was obvious from the beginning of what Uzumak— well, you know about that. But I had sensed a long time ago that there was something a little strange with Haruno Sakura. I could tell immediately that she was adopted, but—"

"Adopted?" Tsunade had not known this. "Ryuu!" she screamed at the right wall. "Get me Haruno Sakura's birth certificate!"

A loud thud answered from the next room, followed by an alarmed "Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Notes:

"Bokken" - means 'wooden sword'. (A more archaic word for it is "bokutou".) These are used for practice in kendō. If you've seen the wondrously-funny Kuno Tatewaki in the "Ranma 1/2" series, that's what he uses all the time... even whilst threatening others with death.

"Ryuu" - means 'dragon'.

In Shinto, the rebuilding ceremony symbolizes death and rebirth. Did I show Tsunade as too sacrilege? Don't worry, that was just a moment of comic relief. Plus, she was a little hung over.

I'm sorry for those people who wanted Sakura's memory to be erased. But I decided that it would have made things too easy for her. Sakura has to suffer, for she is the heroine of this story! (And besides, the plot-twister of amnesia has been a tad over-used in fanfiction anyway.)


	14. Second Round

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Thank you, faithful readers, for telling me of glitches in my martial arts knowledge! (Actually, for 'wooden sword', "boukutou" is the archaic term, and "bokken" is the more modern one. So it really doesn't matter... but thanks to the reviewer who pointed this out!) I'm only using an encyclopedia on martial arts... So for those readers who see mistakes, please speak up!

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 14: Second Round

* * *

"Winner: Angel Amaryllis!"

Minoru read and re-read the program. He had arrived just minutes ago for Sakura's second match. Nothing had prepared him for what he saw in the line-up.

'Damnation!' he thought. 'Of all the people she could have gone with before Potamos... Okay, so she defeated Cardella. But the maniac she's up against doesn't even know his own strength. He'll burn her to a crisp if she doesn't know how to handle him!'

The crowd cheered around Minoru. The fights in the tournament were turning intense, making him even more nervous.

He walked the stadium's hallways, and ended up in front of the room in which the finalists waited for their matches. The elf stepped up to its registration desk and addressed the angel secretary. "Please let me talk with Haruno Sakura," he demanded.

"I'm sorry, my lady," the receptionist replied. "Unless it's an emergency, nobody except the entrants, medics, and officials are allowed in."

"This _is_ an emergency," Minoru said, trying with all his might to keep his voice calm and smooth.

"Care to explain what it is?" the other asked. The secretary's face slowly became darker, and a tiny frown traced her lips.

"There's an insane freak up against her!" Minoru explaimed.

"THEY ARE _ALL _INSANE FREAKS!" she exploded.

Minoru jumped from her outburst.

The angel heaved a few long, slow breaths. After about five seconds, her eyes widened in horror — and then in dismay. "My god, where did that come from?" she asked herself out-loud.

Minoru did not know what to think. Witnessing such a verbal eruption, from an angel secretary, no less, was a rare occurrence in itself.

The tired and embarrassed woman resumed. "I understand your concern, madam, but all the contestants decided on their own to participate, and knew perfectly well what they were getting into."

'Except Sakura-san, who was literally FORCED into the tournament,' Minoru desperately wanted to say.

"We're barely half-way through the entire ordeal, and I've already been getting impossible demands from concerned parents."

'Parents," he thought. 'Of course. That would explain her touchy mood.'

"Everything is under control."

'That is a downright lie!' Minoru thought.

"Unless Haruno Sakura has a life-threatening illness or injury which she failed to mention to us, there is no reason for you to go in. If you are truly worried about her, you will watch from your seat and trust the medics and referee to handle any difficulties that may arise. Please, return to the stands."

Minoru turned around and did just that. He lost that battle.

His worry grew twofold. 'Sakura-san, please... Lose this match if you have to, but don't die on me. You're the only friend I have.'

* * *

Sakura exhaled, inhaled, and repeated it very slowly. Her second match was coming up in five minutes.

At least she knew the person whom she was going to face. She knew his weakness. True, she had not seen all of his strengths. Her human chakra was only about 60 percent back — it would be inefficient and risky to try full-fledged jutsu. Yet her odds had increased ever so slowly, especially with Scarlett's kendo lessons.

An official touched Sakura's shoulder, telling her to follow him. She quietly obeyed, her face becoming paler by the second. She had to fight this until the end.

The official held the door open for her. "Good luck, Haruno-san," he whispered to her. She nodded thankfully, and entered the arena. Sakura's face remained perfectly impassive as she walked toward the center. Opposite her was none other than him: her opponent on her very first day at Hinagiku's dojo.

This time, however, instead of the traditional gi, he had long black pants and black sandals on, and his upper body was wrapped in red bandages.

"Let the best fighter win," he commented with a sneer.

"Of course," she answered coolly.

"Third match of the second round: Haruno Sakura versus Jura of the Fire-Demons!" the speakers boomed.

* * *

Haruno Sakura's birth certificate was missing in her records. Instead, there was a note that said: "Birth certificate, taken care of." It had the Third's handwriting and stamp. The Harunos were brought in for questioning, and they told Tsunade the entire story of how they found Sakura as a baby.

"The doctors of Konoha clinic said that she looked a week or so old," Mr. Haruno explained, "but we decided to make her birthday on March 28 — the day we found her. We explained the situation to the Third, and he... took care of everything, as the note says."

"This sounds like Kaguya-hime all over again," Tsunade muttered. "Mr. and Mrs. Haruno... A few days ago, the local priest came into my office. He is convinced that some... deities took her to another world."

Mrs. Haruno's eyes seemed to turn hollow and dead.

"You... were expecting this, Haruno-san," Tsunade said slowly. "At least subconsciously."

Mrs. Haruno broke down. Her form crumpled as she buried her face in her arms.

Her husband picked her up, and faced Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, I think she's had enough for today," he said. "And the idea of some god... Please, just give us our next missions. This is very stressful to us."

"Forgive me for saying too much." Tsunade sighed. "I will continue to send out hunter-nin to find your daughter. Deity or no deity, she is still a citizen of Konoha. Good night."

* * *

Jura and Sakura stood opposite one another, waiting for the referee's signal. The fire-demon glared at her. Not only were his eyes intimidating, they also brought back memories. They were devoid of black wheeled teardrops, but still...

(( "Sakura... who the hell hurt you?" ))

Sakura mentally slapped herself. 'Don't look at his eyes!'

The referee held up his hand. "Ready... go!" The whistle blew.

Jura charged at her. Sakura pulled out two shuriken and threw them. They stuck themselves into the fire-demon's right shoulder. He winced, yet kept going, and his fist aimed at Sakura's face.

She blocked it, and did a flying roundhouse kick on him. He flew and skidded on the ground. "Come ON!" the kunoichi yelled at him.

"Don't intimidate him, Sakura-san!" Minoru exclaimed as he watched from the stands. Of course, she could not understand the elf, let alone hear him. Minoru was in the back part of the stands, and the crowd in front of him was too loud.

Jura, meanwhile, got slowly up. Sakura did not feel like kicking him while he was down... but that proved to be a mistake. He looked up, the hate piercing through her thoughts and into her buried memories.

(( Sasuke tightened his grip on Zaku's wrists, and then pushed his foot down on the Sound-nin's back — HARD. Two sickening cracks were heard. The ninja fell to the ground, shrieking in pain from his broken arms. ))

Jura's punches and kicks were barely missing her body, and he was pushing her nearer to the wall of the arena. She reached for her kunai, but he was too close to her: he took this opportunity to grab her and slam her on the ground.

(( "Haruno Sakura, I want to fight YOU in the tournament! I saw the tournament's set-up, and if you can go far enough to meet me in the top eight, I KNOW that you'll be a worthy opponent!" ))

'Is this what she meant?' Sakura thought to herself. She screamed as her back hit the gravel.

The kunoichi opened her eyes to see Jura's foot drop towards her face. The demon's eyes burned crimson.

(( "You're the only one left." Uchiha Sasuke smirked as he glanced at Dosu. "Let me have a little more fun with you..." ))

Sakura quickly rolled away, evading Jura's foot. She quickly lashed out her leg and tripped him.

Yousuke watched the battle critically from the stands. "Why isn't he using any fire attacks?" Yousuke asked. "I thought he was tops in the junior league with fire magic."

"Maybe his demon attacks are too advanced to use on a human," Scarlett replied. "He doesn't want to get disqualified by burning her to death."

'Yet, you mean,' Hinagiku thought to herself. She was seriously getting worried. She knew Jura. She knew his temper.

"Hinagiku, what level of fire attacks does he have?" Yuri asked. "You're his teacher."

Hinagiku gripped her seat. "Level four."

"What? That level is high enough for the demon army!" Limone exclaimed. "What is he doing HERE?"

"He's been in the past two junior tournaments," Hinagiku replied. "He had a good chance of winning each time. But... he had control problems, which is why got into my dojo."

"Control problems?" Yousuke asked with a frown. "I don't like the sound of that."

"I got him to put a little pride into empty-handed martial arts, instead of just his demonic powers." Hinagiku bit her lip. 'But if this fight goes long enough... he could lose it...'

Sakura leaped away from Jura, using a little chakra in her feet. But he ran after her — yet again their eyes met, and Sakura froze.

(("STOP!" Sakura screamed as she embraced Sasuke from behind. He slowly turned his head. He glared at her, with his Sharingan eyes, and the curse all over his face. ))

Sakura was suddenly scared. Of Jura. Of Sasuke. Of Potamos. Of everything.

"ARGH!" Her voice lurched as the fire-demon kicked her directly in the stomach. Her body slammed against the wall. Many in the crowd winced. Sakura fell to her knees, and coughed out blood.

"SAKURA!" Momoko screamed.

'Am I... really this weak?' Sakura thought. 'My body feels so... heavy..."

"Is that really all you've got, Human?" Jura asked. "You were putting up a good fight." Sakura looked up, a trickle of red touching her lips. The boy's hands started to glow an orange-red. "Let me have a little more fun with you!" he roared.

Something snapped in Sakura's brain with those words.

A burning fist met the wall. Jura felt stabs of pain in his shoulder blades. The fire-demon turned around to see Sakura behind him, having just thrown three kunai into his back.

"You bitch!" he snarled.

Sakura's eyes widened. Red, burning chakra started to radiate from Jura's entire body. The imbedded kunai flew out of his flesh from the sheer force of the aura, leaving deep, gaping wounds.

"Oh, shit!" Hinagiku swore. "He's gonna do it!" Chakra strong enough to push out imbedded blades could blow a normal human to pieces. Sakura was in trouble.

Momoko screamed to Sakura from her front seat: "Sakura, surrender yourself, NOW!"

Sakura glanced towards the stands. 'Momoko?'

"You've already proven to the committees that you're a good fighter!" the love-angel yelled at her. "Jura will _kill_ you if you stay there; he doesn't know what he's doing!"

The pink-haired girl glanced back at Jura. His eyes were now murderous.

Sakura threw her palms together in a familiar sequence.

"You shall die, human girl," the demon hissed. He extended out his arms, and a blaze of fire shot out in the direction of the kunoichi.

"NO!" Momoko cried out.

The fire enveloped the girl — and she disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The real Sakura stood ten meters away from where her clone took the hit. She gripped a kunai in each hand. "You really want a fight to the death?" the kunoichi seethed at Jura. "Be my guest. I am a ninja, after all."

The demon was furious. "You have some nerve, human!" He cracked his knuckles. "I'll show you how a demon really fights. Nothing like what this pansy junior tournament is."

'It's time for me to get that chakra kendō practice to good use,' Sakura told herself. 'Think back...'

(( "FOREHEAD GIRL!" A group of girls laughed hysterically. Sakura ran off crying.))

'Jura's no different from any other bully.' **'HE'S GONNA PAY!'**

Jura threw out his arms. "I call upon my supreme demonic powers! Hell Blaze!" he screamed. The grounds of the entire battlefield burst into flames.

Many in the stands screamed. No human could survive an attack like this. Jura smirked as he stood in the midst of the inferno. "What a sad, SAD end to such a weakling," he laughed.

"Whose end?" a voice above him replied.

His eyes widened. He looked up to where Sakura's voice came from. "No way!" he yelled. "Humans can't fly!"

"Of course not." Sakura was crouching above him. Her feet and hands were pasted on the flat, cool, and fire-free, wall of the arena. Dangling on her thumbs were the two kunai.

The heat radiating upward was intense. But even demons like Jura had a limit, and burning up the entire arena severely drained his energy. Sakura felt the heat wave begin to die down, and was ready to make her move.

'You've been nothing but an ass to me,' Sakura thought. 'And it's really pissing me off.' New chakra trickled into her leg muscles. Sakura slowly lifted her fingers from the wall's surface.

"So you can walk walls," Jura said amidst the flames. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Never underestimate your opponents!" Sakura retorted. Her green eyes were hard and sharp. "For that, you will PAY."

Sakura slid down the wall and into the flare, charging toward the demon. The extra chakra in her feet gave her protection against the hot ground, but she had to be quick.

The fire-demon was too bewildered to move. No sane human would intentionally charge through his own battleground. He was even more surprised when she suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared right in front of him.

'She's too fast!' he panicked. Jura's confidence faltered, as did his aura.

The kunoichi stabbed one kunai in Jura's left leg. The other sunk into his arm. Her fist punched him hard in the face — she felt his nose break.

Sakura jumped on him, pushing him onto the burning surface. He screamed in agony. Jura's body could tolerate the fire, but the force of the impact onto the ground, plus her weigh on his chest, reopened the wounds on his back.

She grasped his red hair, and pulled his head up to hers. Nothing but wrath burned in her as she glared at him. And then, what she saw confused her.

Tears were dripping from Jura's eyes, full of rage — and humiliation.

Something pricked at Sakura's heart. No longer afraid, nor angry, she looked sadly into Jura's red eyes with her beautiful green ones. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She thrust two fingers into the back of his neck, hitting the pressure point.

This time, it was accurate — Jura fainted. The flames of the arena disappeared instantly, as if they were never there in the first place.

"_NOW_ CAN WE GO?" half of the medics yelled at the head doctor. For the past two minutes, they had been bickering and arguing about when it was the proper time to step in.

"YES!" he screamed back. "The monitors say so!" They went to fetch Jura's unconscious form.

"Winner: Haruno Sakura!" the speakers blared out.

"Oh, thank GOD!" Minoru gasped as he sagged to the floor. Everybody around him was cheering, but the elf had no spirit to join in. "I think I just lost thirty years of my life there!"

Momoko and Yousuke slumped in their seats. Their comrades sighed in relief. Scarlett wiped the sweat from her face. 'That was close.'

The battered and slightly burnt girl got up, brushing herself off. She wiped the blood off her chin, deaf to the applause surrounding her. Sakura was relieved that the match itself was finished. That battle was dangerous; she was glad she got out of it alive. But Jura's face, with those red eyes so full of anguish — they were probably what disturbed her the most.

* * *

Notes:

"Jura" - a mountain range in Europe. This is where the word "Jurassic" comes from.

"Kaguya-hime" - 'Princess Kaguya'. This well-known character in Japanese literature is the story of a princess from the moon. She is found in the stump of a golden bamboo tree by a bamboo-cutter (or a "taketori", which is why the official name of the story is "Taketori Monogatari", or 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'). The old man and his wife adopts her, since they never had a child of their own. She grows up to be very beautiful, and is quite ruthless and cold to the men who seek her hand in marriage. Eventually, the heavens take her back to the moon.


	15. Skip

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

A naruhina friendship scene is in. It's just to cheer Naruto up a little. (Hinata-chan is soooo sweet!)

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 15: Skip

* * *

A kunoichi staggered as she walked through the aisles of the grocery store. Her third match was on the morn. For the last week, she had been practicing her ninja skills, as well as practicing kendō with chakra. She was physically tired, and a little nervous again. 'Yup, tonight, definitely go to bed right after a nice hot bath.'

She made it this far from the first round, and now into the top sixteen — a great accomplishment in her first try, especially as a human. Sakura's identity was still mysterious among the townsfolk. Rather than decrease, the stares she received in Minerva grew exponentially after she defeated Cardella and Jura. Many looked at her with fleeting glances. It was hard to decipher whether they held fear, awe, or scorn. She did her best to ignore the antagonistic ones, even though her innards screamed, **'YOU WANNA FIGHT ME?'** But at the same time, a number of powerful-looking beings would give her polite smiles as she walked in the streets. Two or three strangers even stopped her to quietly give her their congratulations.

The exotic fruits and dried spices filled the store with a wonderful aroma. Sakura asked the butcher for some fowl. He gave her a wink as he handed over a generous package, charging her no more than what she originally requested. She thanked him gratefully, and wished him a good night.

The kunoichi slowly walked on the gravel path leading to the mountain forest. Her body was too drained to jump safely through the trees. Nice and easy was the way to go now. Besides, in the deeper parts, there were a couple of plant species whose branches twisted around warm-blooded animals — whether they were beasts or people — and attempt to eat them.

'I wonder what everyone at home is doing,' Sakura thought as she trod up the mountain. 'My parents. Oh, man. They must be so worried. And I know Kakashi thinks of me as a little sister or so.'

She sighed. 'Naruto... he better not get killed before I come back — if I ever do, that is. And I hope Lee-san won't try anything ridiculous while attempting to find me. His passion is awesome, but it can sometimes take over his common sense... okay, 'sometimes' doesn't cut it. Tsunade-sama and Ino... they'd be just as agitated as my parents.'

A nerve popped out of Sakura's head as she thought of another person. 'And Sasuke: well, he probably thinks, 'good riddance'. Not that I would blame him. Now that I think about it, I'd like to apologize to him for being an annoying pest.'

**'And then knee him where it COUNTS. SHAANNAROO!'

* * *

**

'Haruno Sakura.'

A handsome lad of sixteen sat at the park bench, reading the next day's line-up. He was an angel of flight, even though he had no wings on his back. He was glad of this. He was advanced enough in magic to fly without them. Plus, he considered wings bulky and too tiresome to take care of.

'She's my next opponent. Although human, she's a good fighter and strategist. I was so afraid when Jura fought her; I honestly thought that her death would cancel the tournament... But she was GOOD.' A lump developed in his throat. 'And she's REALLY hot...'

"OH, YEAH!" he yelled out. The angel gave a vertical punch with a touch of wind-based ki. This resulted in a minor sonic boom. It echoed through the city park, scattering birds from the surrounding trees.

As he snapped back into reality, he found himself standing on a park-bench with a fist in the air. Glares from other passer-byers shot in his direction. "Ah, ahaha... Sorry, good people," he said sheepishly, and he floated upwards. He hid himself into the deeper portion of the park trees.

'Haruno Sakura. What a beautiful name.' The latter-day romantic dreamed as he sat in the branches of a flowering tree. He then sighed in exasperation. "Still, the 'fighting' part against Sakura would be the hard part," he grumbled out-loud. "I don't want to hurt her..."

"Oh, I'll take care of that for you," a voice piped up from behind him. He tensed, and turned around.

Potamos sat in a nearby branch.

"Who are you?" asked the angel of flight.

"Hi, Mr. Popular," Potamos squealed. "If you don't wanna fight Haruno Sakura, then quit! Drop out! It's simple!"

"No!" he yelled at her. "Go away!"

"Oh, come on," the cheerful girl replied. "I wanna fight her, and if you beat her, then I won't get a chance at her."

"I... I get a chance at her, not you!" He paused to think of the implications of what he just said.

"Na, ah! She's much stronger than you. You will have noooo chance against her. Especially if," she grasped his hand, "you're knocked out."

He expelled a shot of air at her — or rather, at her clone. It burst into spray of water. A muffled laugh echoed from above.

He glanced upward, just in time to see the real Potamos drop a column of water on top of him. The shot blasted the flight-angel through the tangle of branches, and he landed with a painful thud. He was soaked and out cold.

Potamos giggled. "You're not fast enough, anyway." She jumped through the trees, leaving the scene.

* * *

Naruto was down in the dumps. The results of the Chuunin exams came out. Naruto could not go this semester — neither as an entrant nor as a spectator.

Currently, he was practicing his aim with projectile weapons.

(( Kakashi stopped Naruto in the streets. "Naruto!" he called out. "I have to talk with you."

The silver-haired jounin sighed quietly as the fox-boy trotted over. "I know this might upset you. But you're not taking the Chuunin exams this semester. Both Jiraiya and I agreed. It's just that..."

Naruto turned away. "It's alright, Kakashi-sensei," he said in a low voice. "I'm in no mood to go for this round."

Kakashi's one eye widened at Naruto's sullen response.

Naruto looked back at his teacher. "Maybe in another six months, when I have my team back," he said, giving a phony grin. He walked off in the direction of the Ichiraku Ramen bar. ))

'The scary thing is, I actually meant it.'

Naruto threw some shuriken at a training doll. His aim was good, but not perfect.

'That Sasuke-bastard is gone... And now Sakura-chan is gone, too. I hope that Sakura-chan didn't run off looking for him.' He sighed. 'Then again, I want to do the same for Sakura-chan. And I tried it and failed when Sasuke ran off. If he gets himself killed... I'll kill him! Wait, that doesn't make sense... If he gets himself killed... I'll kill him again. Wait, no... THE POINT IS, SAKURA-CHAN IS MISSING!'

"Na, Naruto-kun?" a quiet voice came from behind him.

"Hm?" Naruto turned around, to find Hyuuga Hinata standing behind him. There were a few cuts and bruises on her skin, but she looked fine. The Hyuuga arrived home the day before, after taking the Chuunin exams in the Lightning country. A slow blush crept up over her cheeks, which Naruto, like always, believed to be just a strange quirk of hers.

"Oh, Hinata! Good to see you! Hey, don't worry about failing the exam; I heard from Kiba and Shino that you were great!"

"Th-, thank you, Naruto-kun," she squeaked out. "But I'll definitely need more training before I become a Chuunin."

Naruto grinned. "You'll get there. I'm VERY sure."

The match between Hinata and her fearsome cousin Neji, back when Konoha hosted the Chuunin exams, was still fresh in Naruto's mind. And after he argued with Neji about fate and his picking on Hinata, then beating him to a pulp in the exams — Naruto was ready to defend the blue-haired girl anytime. He still thought her a little gloomy and odd. But he liked people like her, and he even told her that.

He was utterly clueless, even now, about how much those words meant to the timid girl. At least _that_ part of him was still there: the inability to add one and one to get two, especially when it came to human relationships.

"Um... ah... Naruto-kun, Tsunade-sama wants to see you in her office at six o'clock," Hinata stuttered. 'Why do I have to get so nervous whenever I talk to him?' she thought frantically.

"Okay, thanks!" Naruto pulled out his shuriken from the training doll. Hinata's appearance reminded him that he still had friends and family in Konoha. And for that, he was thankful.

* * *

Sakura looked at the official in disbelief. "You're kidding me."

"He fell from a tree yesterday, so it seems," the official explained. "He had a few broken bones. Also a mild case of hypothermia. You got a free ride; now you automatically bump up to eighth round. Off you go." He shooed her out of the room.

Sakura felt more cheated than relieved. She came here, all pumped and ready to fight. Instead, her opponent just — failed to even show up. "And all because he fell from a tree," Sakura grumbled. She strode out of the room, clearly in a mood. She yanked open the door and departed, ready to see the next matches.

As she walked down the hall, she saw Minoru at the foot of the stairs. "Hello, Minoru-san!" she called out, and ran to him.

"Sakura-san, is it true that your match was cancelled?"

"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes. The two started to climb up the stairs. "He didn't show up, my opponent. Fell from a tree. That's what the official said, anyway."

Minoru frowned. "That can't be true," he said flatly.

Sakura turned to him. "Why's that?"

"Your opponent, Icarus, is a flight-angel," he explained. "It is IMPOSSIBLE that he would get injured from a fall to the ground — unless he had become intoxicated or whatnot. Much as an imbecile he is, he would never partake in such activities right before a match. He has too much pride."

Sakura froze at the top of the stairway. "And the official told me that Icarus also had mild hypothermia. That would require lots of cold water at this time of year..." Her eyes widened with realization.

The elf nodded. "Potamos," he said gravely. "In fact, her match is coming up. Right now."

The two ran to their seats. Sakura was especially interested in watching this. She had been unconscious after her fight in the first round. In the second round, Potamos had her own fight before Sakura set foot into the arena. In fact — with the mild exception of that incident with Minoru — the kunoichi had never witnessed the powers of the water-demon.

"Sixth match of the third round: Angel Erda versus Potamos of the Water-Demons!"

A young girl dressed in tan armor faced off against Potamos. She was an earth-angel, standing up tall and resolute, like a determined fighter. But Potamos...

"Is she... _dancing_?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"It seems so," Minoru answered. Potamos seemed to be in her own little world as she spun like a ballerina.

"Ready... GO!" The referee blew the whistle.

Potamos immediately stopped twirling, and put her hands together. A snake of water blasted out of her palms. Angel Erda was knocked clean off her feet, and skidded on the ground. She was quick to get up, and mumbled a few lines.

Poles of sand shot out of the ground, trapping Potamos like a bird in a cage.

"Not bad," the water-demon said. "But you've got to watch your surroundings."

The earth-angel looked shocked as the clone in the sand jail splashed away. Then she experienced another ice-cold push, this time on her back. She fell again into a wet heap.

As Erda struggled to pick herself up, she felt something cold and sharp touch her neck. She opened her eyes to see Potamos pointing an ice spear at her throat.

The earth-angel smirked. "You know you're not supposed to kill me," Erda mumbled. "You'll get kicked out of the tournament."

Potamos' yellow eyes glinted. Her grin was no longer mischievous — instead, it bordered on sadistic. "You think I care about winning? It's been a while since I've killed. If you don't surrender now, I'll drive this spear through your neck. In front of everybody."

The angel's heart froze with shock and fear. 'No... impossible... But she looks serious...' Terror gripped her, and beads of cold sweat formed on her brow.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the stands was wondering, just why Angel Erda was not getting off the ground as Potamos stood perfectly immobile over her. Nobody except the two fighters saw the weapon in the demon's hands — not even the referee.

"I SURRENDER!" Angel Erda screamed. The spear of ice vanished from Potamos' hands. Confused murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

"What's she doing?" Minoru mumbled in irritation. "Erda still had a chance."

"Genjutsu," Sakura said quietly.

Minoru turned his head to the kunoichi. "Pardon?"

"I think she was using an illusion," Sakura explained. "From how Potamos' hands were positioned, and the look of sheer terror on Erda's face... It would be easy to imagine Potamos holding something long and sharp at Erda. The reason why it wasn't visible to anybody else was because Potamos made the illusion to cover only a small diameter. Once the spell was in effect, Potamos could threaten to take her life."

"But..."

"That's the only theory I can come up with. I have a limited knowledge of genjutsu in the Shinobi World." Her fists tighted. "But if I'm right," Sakura muttered, "I could see that Potamos was enjoying EVERY minute of it."

The water-demon jumped up and down in glee. She then stopped, and turned her head in the direction where Minoru and Sakura were sitting. The eyes of the two girls met. The corner of the water-demon's mouth turned up into a smirk, and Sakura gulped.

"I get it..." the kunoichi mumbled. Minoru quietly observed her. Goosebumps covered her arms, and a tiny smile feathered her pink lips.

"Sakura-san... Are you not well?" Minoru asked in concern.

"I'm fine, Minoru-san." Her fingers touched her partially-opened mouth, as if she were deep in thought.


	16. Name

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

Chapter 16: Name

* * *

An elf and a human walked down the street. An impressive number of people were around them; the third round had just finished for the junior tournament.

"Sakura-san, I can't see any weakness of hers," Minoru said desperately. "Maybe... you should..."

"No, Minoru-san." Sakura was resolute in her decision. "We've already gone over this before." **'Why am I talking to him as if he were my husband!'** "Look, she wants to fight me. That's all there is to it."

"She wants to fight you, and THEN kill you," the elf insisted.

Sakura shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

Minoru halted in his walking. Sakura stopped for him, and was surprised to see his face as she turned back. The elf looked irritated.

"You say just 'maybe' and take it like it's nothing!" Minoru exclaimed. "This is your own LIFE we're talking about!"

"That's what my life IS," Sakura shot back, with a hint of ice in her voice. "I am a ninja. My life is always on the line, no matter what."

Minoru turned away from her. A feeling of guilt hit Sakura as she saw a pained look in his face for a fleeting second. 'Maybe I shouldn't have said that to him...'

Their argument brought several stares in their direction.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san," the elf mumbled quietly. "It's not that I want to order you around. I'm just concerned about your safety. That's all."

Sakura looked closely at Minoru. "Thanks, and I'm sorry for being so moody," she answered. "That really means a lot — that someone in this world is concerned about me. ...But I know what Potamos wants. The reason why she wants to fight me. And I'm ready to give it to her."

"Can you at least tell me the reason?"

Sakura bit her lip. 'If I told you, you'd probably bind and gag me so that I couldn't go.' **'Not that I would mind it from such a hot babe like Minoru...'**

Instead of exposing her inner thoughts, Sakura decided to satisfy Minoru with a vague answer: "I can't tell you," she said teasingly.

The elf sighed. 'Damnation. This is like taking care of a girlfriend.'

* * *

Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHAT! That is just too unbelievable!"

"I'm afraid to say that I agree with Naruto on that one," Kakashi replied.

"See? See?" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at his teacher. "I'm not the only one thinking that's crazy! Even though it was hell of a lot of chakra..."

"But that 'hell of a lot of chakra' points to it. That... and the priest's fire-readings... and then Sakura's unknown origins..." Tsunade trailed off.

"SO WHAT? That doesn't prove she's from another world; some idiot couple could have dumped her in the forest because they didn't want a baby!"

Naruto plopped down on the floor, and folded his arms. Kakashi looked down, and raised an eyebrow: the fox-boy appeared to be doing heavy mental work.

An idea occurred to Naruto. "The priest was really a spy!" he concluded. "He was a foreign ninja from out-of-town!"

Tsunade sighed. "Naruto, we have members of the Hyuuga clan in the ANBU. One was with me when the priest arrived, and he scanned his chakra. The only energy he saw was in specific points in the brain. And that, mind you, fit the model of that priest. Just because they're religious doesn't mean that we don't monitor them. That shrine's been taken care of by him for thirty-some years."

Naruto ranted on. "I don't buy it! Maybe he's just trying to distract us from looking for Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto, that's enough," Kakashi admonished. "Of course there are endless possibilities, but you've got to work with what information you have."

Naruto's face turned angry as he faced the Fifth Hokage.

"Tsunade-babaa..." his voice shook, "Are you telling me that Sakura-chan may never come home again? Just give up on her?"

"Naruto," Kakashi's voice became firm. "Don't speak to the Hokage that way."

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi. "YOU could feel a little remorse, too! In fact, BOTH of you are Sakura-chan's teachers!"

Kakashi's one eye seemed to crease in anger, but he kept his calm demeanor. "Naruto, you've got to realize that this is the life of a ninja. Do I feel remorse that she's gone? Of course I do. I worry about her every night. But I will NOT let that take over my duties as a shinobi of Konoha. I have a place in this village, as do you."

Naruto looked down in frustration, and scrubbed his eyes with the hem of his jacket.

"Sakura would get mad if she saw you this way, Naruto," Tsunade said with a wry smile. "We're still looking for her, and we won't give up for quite a while. I just wanted to give you this information so that you weren't left in the dark."

"I'm still left in the dark," Naruto grumbled. 'And both of my best friends are gone,' he added silently.

"Consider yourself lucky, Naruto, that I'm even telling you this," Tsunade said.

Naruto looked up in a confused surprise.

"At first, I thought to keep it hidden from you. But then I reconsidered. As dumb and reckless as you are at times, you will understand how serious this is — partially because of what you yourself have already experienced in life."

Naruto gulped as Tsunade's eyes bore into his.

"Listen to me, Naruto," she said with gravity. "You must NOT tell anyone what I've told you about Sakura. If Sakura's still alive, and word gets out that she might be a powerful being or whatnot, all sorts of ninja will go after her — either to kill her, or to use her as a weapon for themselves."

'Like Zabuza did with Haku,' Naruto realized.

"Even that sick Orochimaru might want her as a... specimen... for his disgusting experiments," Tsunade growled. "If you truly care about her safety, you will tell NOBODY. Not even Ino or Lee."

"Got it." Naruto gave a sincere nod. 'If I blab... Sakura could become like Haku... or Gaara... or me.'

* * *

"HAH!" A kunoichi lashed out against the thin air with her katana. It was her solo afternoon practice in the yard of the Fuuma residence. This was a preferable training area compared with the dojo, where every room was full of students in the afternoon and evening.

In here, the flowers of the surrounding garden brought a much more tranquil atmosphere.

Before starting, Sakura would first tell the children to go back inside, or keep their distance. They learned quickly to comply — a few had already tasted a hint of Inner Sakura, and warned their siblings. In the empty space, she reviewed all of her moves she had learned thus far from Scarlett's kendō. She would then do them all over again, this time with chakra added.

What Sakura loved about kendō was not only its stylized and beautiful form, but also that skill and technique were more important than size or strength. In fact, men and women could fight against each other in kendō without any discernible advantage on either side. 'Maybe this was why Scarlett decided to teach it to me, for the sake of my chakra,' Sakura thought to herself. 'She recognized my personality, and gave me something that fit with my way of thinking and fighting.'

The pink-haired girl stopped to catch her breath. After twenty seconds, she heaved a final sigh, and grinned. 'Now to add a pinch of chakra.' She held her katana and closed her eyes. She thought of her parents back home. 'Otoo-san, Okaa-san...'

The pain of longing came with it, of course. But the deep filial love warmed up and trickled into her chakra reserve. She opened her eyes to see her blade glowing blue, with the ever-same tiny line of pink. With it, the kunoichi did a series of moves, dancing with the blade and her aura.

She stopped to catch her breath again. Now came the part in which she had difficulties.

'Orochimaru...' Her eyes were tightly shut as she imagined his snake-like face and vile grin. 'How dare you curse Sasuke. How dare you attack and leave our village in shambles. How dare you murder your own teacher, our beloved Third.' **'SHAAAAAANNAROOOOOOO!'**

The gall filled her thoughts, poisoning her heart. She opened her eyes.

Blue ki radiated from her weapon. But instead of the pink line, there was a thread of forest-green. It waved violently, like a single blade of grass amidst a storm.

'I did it.' An insane gleam entered her emerald eyes. This was Sakura's first time to actually see this energy in real life. Until now, only the blue and pink aura had ever manifested in her kendō. Seeing the green line scared her and excited her.

Glowing sword in hand, she yelled out. She performed a few more moves before feeling her body reach its limit.

She slid the weapon back into its scabbard. Her head grew dizzy. 'So this is what made Sasuke-kun so strong,' she thought as she panted. **'Hell yeah!'**

"Sakura-oneechan, dinner's in five minutes!" a voice from the window piped out.

"Okay, I'm coming!" Sakura called back.

* * *

"Sakura, what have you decided to name your sword?" Yousuke picked up a slice of beef from the sukiyaki with his chopsticks, and dipped it in his mixed raw egg. It was the cook's day off, so the meals today were simple.

"Oh... I haven't found one yet," Sakura said awkwardly. "I can't find anything good enough for such a... wonderful thing." **'Why do I have to decide, anyway?' **Inner Sakura grumbled.** 'Why didn't the sword-smith do it?'**

"You should come up with something," Yousuke said. "It's your sword." He popped the cooked meat into his mouth, and savored it. "Mmm, half-raw. Best way to eat it."

"Well, Sakura, did you at least think about possible names?" Momoko asked. She dumped some more udon noodles into the pan. "It was quite easy for you. You were named after my mother — your angel grandmother. When she lost her memory and found herself in the human realm, she took up the name Sakura."

"It also fits my birthday," Sakura laughed. "The cherry blossoms always bloom around spring. That's probably why my parents... oh, I mean..."

An awkward silence passed between the three. Sakura's face burned in shame. She had almost forgotten that Yousuke and Momoko were supposed to be her parents. Still, that could not entirely go through with her. Meanwhile, the children were jittering around the table, fighting for food, oblivious to what the three were talking about.

"Hey, don't hog the meat, you pigs!" a tomboy yelled at her brothers. "I need to grow, too, you know!"

"You're a TREE-nymph; how the heck do you eat meat!" one yelled back.

"All nymphs are naturally omnivores, just like anybody else!" she retorted. "I told you, that crap about us being vegetarian..."

"There's enough meat to go around, kids," Yousuke firmly called down the table. He sighed, turning back to the pink-haired ladies of the house.

"I'm sorry," Sakura mumbled.

"It's okay, Sakura," Yousuke replied. "We really don't mind. Anyway, the name for your sword."

The kunoichi fumbled with her words. "Um... yeah. I didn't come up with any specific names... I was thinking of something beautiful... maybe a mythical place or idea. But it shouldn't be too cocky, like naming it after a god."

"How about 'Tennyo'?" Momoko suggested.

Sakura blinked. Tennyo: Heavenly Maiden. 'What a strange name for a sword,' she commented to herself.

"It fits you," Momoko said with a smile.

"What?" Sakura was utterly confused.

"Well, it DOES reflect both your personality and aura," Yousuke said. "You're a fine lady, but when you're threatened, you get to bring on judgment and kick ASS!"

"Ooooh, Daddy said an icky word!" - "What's an 'ass'?" - "It's actually a donkey." - "That doesn't sound dirty at all!"

"Yousuke!" Momoko scolded her husband. "We're eating dinner!"

Sakura giggled at the commotion, and thought about the name. 'Tennyo...' It chimed well with her. She began to imagine herself in a flowing, exquisite kimono, with a hagoromono floating around her shoulders. The kunoichi blushed, and mentally scolded herself for being vain. 'This is the SWORD'S name, not yours!'

Still, she couldn't help but grin back at Momoko. "I like it," she said. "Tennyo."

* * *

Notes:

"sukiyaki" - a Japanese dish made up of sliced meat (usually beef), vegetables, noodles, tofu, and other things cooked in a mixture of wine, soy sauce and sugar. It is all cooked together in a sort of deep-dished hot plate. The individual peices of food are then taken out and dipped into mixed raw egg, cooling it down. It's VERY easy to make and tastes awesome.

"udon" - Japanese rice-noodles that CAN be put into sukiyaki, but is more commonly cooked and served like ramen. Udon is a thicker noodle than ramen. And although the two dishes are similar, udon is usually reserved for fish-broth, while for ramen the flavors can vary: pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, or whatnot.

"tennyo" - if you look at the kanji, 'ten' means 'heaven' and 'nyo' means woman. In Japanese folklore, tennyo were supernatural beings, but not goddesses in themselves. They were more like heavenly spirits who were servants to the gods. The most well-known story of these beings is the one about a fisherman who stole a tennyo's hagoromo (a shawl-like object that the tennyo needed to fly), so that she could stay with him on earth and be his wife. (I haven't read or seen "Ayashi no Ceres", but I do know that it is based off of this story.)


	17. Inner Thought

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a cross-over with Wedding Peach.

I am eternally grateful for the reviewers who point out technical mistakes in my work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 17: Inner Thought

* * *

After scrubbing and rinsing her sweat off with the nearby show-heads, Sakura plunged herself into the stone Japanese-bathtub. 'Setting aside the kids, I guess it's sort of a luxury to live with the Fuumas,' Sakura thought. 'In the Shinobi world, this size of a bathroom would be normal for a small village inn...'

Sakura gave a sigh as she let herself soak. Her body was exhausted from training.

"So are you ready for tomorrow's match?" Momoko asked next to her.

"As ready as I could ever be," Sakura replied. "I just need to relax and have a good sleep."

There was a pause. From the corner of her eye, Sakura studied Momoko's profile. The kunoichi had noticed a long time ago how beautiful her biological mother was. 'At first glance, the only thing I have in common with her is pink hair... And Yousuke looks great...'

"Um... Momoko?" There was some hesitancy in Sakura's voice. "How did you and Yousuke meet?"

Momoko laughed. "That's right, you only know that we met as humans in the human realm. We were both twelve. I was on the school newspaper, and tried to snag an interview with the soccer captain. Instead, the back-up goalie — Yousuke — kicked me off the field and told me to buzz off."

Sakura frowned. "Sounds like a bad start."

"You got that right. At first, I couldn't stand him. He called me 'Momo-P' only two days after we met, and liked to make me mad on trifle things. But... we really did care for each other. Even when our individual powers awakened, we grew closer together."

Sakura smiled faintly, and cast down her eyes. 'What a fairy-tale,' she thought to herself. 'Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending. Very rarely happens, if ever. She's so lucky.'

Momoko noticed the hint of sadness in the girl's smile. "Oh... Did you leave a lover over there? I'm sorry..."

"Not really," Sakura said. "It was just a stupid obsession on my part. Nothing serious. Don't worry — I got over it, long before I even came to this dimension."

Momoko looked at her with concern.

The kunoichi gave a dry laugh. "I had a huge crush on this dark, smart, handsome guy. Number-one rookie of my graduating class, and he ended up on my team when the genin-teams were chosen."

"So you were friends?" Momoko asked.

"Yeah... I guess we became friends. He showed as much expression as a rock — when he wasn't fighting, anyway. He was quiet, and so caught up in... getting stronger. He saved my life a few times, but that was because we were teammates, and I couldn't protect myself. I was the weakest member of the team."

"I see," the angel murmured. "But what I want to know is... do you still have feelings for him?"

Sakura gave a wry smile. "No. I don't think so." She cupped her hands and lifted up some hot water, splashing it on her face.

* * *

Sasuke looked in the distance through the trees. The gates of Konoha were open. His parents, Naruto, and Kakashi and were waving at him, welcoming him back.

"Yo, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out.

"Hey, Dobe." Sasuke smirked at the obvious rage in Naruto's face.

It was such a relief to Sasuke that there were no girls around, swooning over him like brainless idiots. But there was something not right.

"Hey, Naruto, where's Sakura?"

Naruto blinked. "Sakura?"

Sasuke stared back at his teammate. This wasn't possible — even for an idiot like Naruto. Sasuke pulled Naruto up by the collar. "Usura-tonkachi. Where's Sakura, our teammate?"

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked. "You mean Kakashi?"

"Kakashi's our teacher, Moron! Don't tell me you don't remember her!" Sasuke snapped his head in Kakashi's direction. "Kakashi!" he exclaimed, as if demanding him to do something.

Kakashi put his palm to Sasuke's empty forehead, as if he were checking for a fever. Sasuke brushed him off in frustration.

Sasuke turned to his parents. "Too-san! Kaasan!"

He then remembered that his parents wouldn't know Sakura. They had never met her.

They were _dead_, for crying out loud.

Sasuke decided to take this opportunity to ask stupid questions. Anybody did senseless things in dreams — even Sasuke — and this definitely was a dream. Maybe communicating with the dead was possible in this state.

"Too-san, Kaa-san... Have you seen Sakura anywhere? She's about this tall, with pink hair and green eyes. Is she in the Land of the Dead? Or if you're wandering around Earth, have you seen her?"

They smiled at him. They faded away. Naruto and Kakashi followed suit.

Sasuke somehow expected this. He decided to take another route.

"SAKURA!" he yelled out, turning around back to the forest. As if on cue, the greenery warped into a desert. The teenager squinted, and saw that there was an oasis up ahead. He walked up to it. He saw a figure crouching under a palm tree, near the edge of the sparkling pool.

Sakura was kneeling and smelling at the flowers around the oasis. She looked up to find Sasuke in standing in front of her.

The pink-haired girl looked down shyly. Sakura was not in her normal clothing. Instead, she was dressed like a — what was it again? — tennyo. Sasuke remembered the story of the fisherman and the heavenly maiden. His mother had read it to him a few times when he was little.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun." She gave a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm... I'm fine," Sasuke said. He seated himself down next to her. "Sakura... where are you? Why aren't you in Konoha?"

"I'm home," Sakura replied. "This is my home."

The Uchiha had no idea how to react to her odd answer. In the long silence, he decided to gaze at her.

She wore a red kimono with embroidered cherry blossoms, but it was long, in a more ancient style — like what dressed a royal concubine. Underneath the red kimono was a thin white kimono; its long, fluttering ends covered her feet. The material looked so thin and lightweight, draping loosely over her figure. A finely-woven, pink hagoromo floated magically around her shoulders.

Sasuke suddenly felt something. 'Since when was Sakura this…'

As if reading his thoughts, Sakura hesitantly moved her face towards his.

Some sort of animal instinct pushed the Uchiha forward. He started to lean closer to her, something he would never do in real life. This was the only time and place where he could forgot about his duties on Earth.

Yet before Sasuke could touch her, Sakura was jerked away from him. She shrieked in fright.

The boy saw in horror that the oasis had now turned into a massive wall of vines. The green tendrils encircled Sakura's limbs, pulling her away. They grabbed at Sasuke as well.

"Damn it!" Sasuke shouted as he slashed away the vines with his kunai. They were getting too fast, so he performed his Chidori and ripped the plants through. He tried to reach Sakura, but more tendrils came out to obscure his way.

As Sasuke fought off the vines, he noticed Sakura did not look frightened anymore. In fact, she looked...

"SAKURA!" Sasuke screamed. The vines dropped the lifeless maiden, and slinked out of Sasuke's way.

Sasuke stumbled towards the limp form. He reached out to touch her.

"You're not worthy of her," something hissed from above.

Sakura's green eyes opened half-way. "Sa...Sasuke-kun..." She weakly murmured. "I..." Her green eyes turned blank. Her breath stopped.

* * *

Sasuke jerked out of bed. He was covered in cold sweat.

It was just a dream.

He put a hand over his dark eyes.

'Oh, _hell._ That was just ridiculous.'

* * *

The door creaked open. Momoko carefully stepped in, and closed the door behind her. She tip-toed over to the bed in which Sakura peacefully lay. A red compact nestled in Momoko's hand. It had a large, heart-shaped jewel on its cover.

Sakura was stretched out on the mattress, wearing the nightshirt she got from Momoko.

Momoko repositioned the crumpled blankets so that they adequately covered the girl. The love-angel flicked open her compact, holding it over Sakura's sleeping form.

The compact began to glow with aura. "Sacred Mirror," she whispered. "Please show me the special person of my daughter."

An image appeared in the compact's mirror. A handsome, raven-haired youth appeared. He physically looked Sakura's age, but his eyes were those of an adult.

'I knew it,' Momoko thought with a gentle smile. 'She still has feelings for him.'

The compact shut with a faint click.

Momoko stroked away the pink hairs obscuring Sakura's face, admiring her daughter's features. The angel gave a gentle kiss on her forehead. 'My poor girl. But you are loved — more than you have any idea of.'

* * *

Notes:

"Momo-P" - the 'P' is sort of a cute suffix for girls, usually given between close female friends (or, if said by a guy, only to his girlfriend). This is why Momoko couldn't stand Yousuke calling her this when they had met only recently.

"Usura-tonkachi" - it's usually translated as 'total moron' or 'total idiot' by translators. It's literal meaning is hard to decipher. "Tonkachi" means 'hammer', so the term could emphasize that Naruto is dense as a rock. Or a charging-in-type, not paying attention to details, as the reader phoenix-light pointed out. "Usura" can mean 'total' or 'complete'. Both of these words are rather archaic, so the fact that Sasuke came up with such a full-blown nickname could emphasize that he's well-read. (This is my GUESS; I know Japanese as a mother language, but I have no doctorate in it. So please, DON'T trust me on this one.)

Don't worry, the action is coming soon.


	18. NinjatoNinja

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a cross-over with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 18: Ninja-to-Ninja

* * *

Sakura made her way to the stadium. She felt as if her innards were hollow. Today was the match with Potamos. Not only that, she had such a weird dream. If she could just remember what it was about...

She rounded the corner, and was surprised to see who was sitting on the park bench.

It was her elfin friend Minoru. He covered his mouth as he yawned. He was still in his forest-green robes, with a green ribbon binding his wavy, blond hair.

"Minoru-san!" Sakura waved to him. He looked up, and saw the pink-haired girl come over. "The round doesn't begin for another hour-and-a-half."

"May I have the pleasure of escorting you?" he asked. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the morning glow. "And remember, Sakura-san. You can't refuse, because I got up this early for you. I don't want Potamos to attack you until the match actually starts."

Color rose in Sakura's cheeks. "Oh... of course." She looked closely at him. "Minoru-san, your eyes look blood-shot. Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Oh, I was doing some work. Nothing to worry about."

"Hmm." Sakura frowned.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Minoru asked. "Any dreams?"

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe. I didn't have any nightmares."

"Excellent." Minoru smiled. "I presume you already broke your nightly fast, but here's a little potion-drink I prepared for you. It will clean out your system, and boost your stamina."

"Um, thanks," Sakura said as she took the tiny vile. "You mean like an energy-drink?"

"That's what it's called in the human realm, I remember."

Sakura became suspicious as she looked at the pink liquid. She only had met the elf less than two months ago, and he gave her a potion. "Aren't these difficult and expensive to make? I didn't know you were into medicinal alchemy."

"I have some experience in it, yes." His blue eyes pierced through her green ones, as if knowing what was coming up next. "And no: I did not poison it."

Her face blushed crimson. "Can you read minds?" she asked edgily. She did not want to interrogate Minoru, but she hated feeling so vulnerable.

He smiled. "Maybe. But the point is, it's just an energy-booster for your physical body. No formula has been discovered to raise or lower chakra."

"Have you ever heard of Hyourougan?" Sakura scoffed, recalling the pill Kiba used in his fight against Naruto.

"Pardon?"

"Never mind," Sakura quickly said. "So, this is just an energy-drink."

"Yes!" he insisted with exasperation. "It will take a while to settle in, though, so you should use it now."

"I hope it works, in whatever it's supposed to do," Sakura said. She pulled the cork and downed the bottle's contents. She choked on the liquid.

"Oh, yes, its flavor is a touch on the sour side."

"I'll never drink lemonade again..." Sakura mumbled as she pulled a face. **'This stuff's disgusting!'** "Tha...Thank you, Minoru-san."

Minoru gave a low chuckle as he saw Sakura's expression. 'You're too trusting of me, Sakura-san.'

* * *

Potamos giggled with an evil smirk on her lips.

Sakura kept her face blank as she stared back. This was it.

"Ready — GO!" The whistle blew.

Potamos blasted a column of water at Sakura. Sakura put chakra in her feet to jump to the side. A long, narrow puddle resulted on the ground.

'Bunshin no Jutsu!' Sakura mentally called out as her hands flicked into the sequence. Sakura's image split into two. She and her clone charged toward Potamos, and they landed a 'double-kick' on the demon. The real Sakura's leg broke apart a water clone. 'Yup,' she thought.

"I can do clones, too, you know!" the real Potamos squealed, rising from the water puddle. Her yellow-cat eyes glinted with mischief, as she knew which of the two Sakuras was the real one. She aimed her hands at Sakura's back, and gave another shot of water.

Sakura's hands had already completed the order.

'Kawarimi no Jutsu!'

Sakura and her clone switched places. As the clone took the hit, the kunoichi appeared in front of her opponent and kicked her half-way across the field, putting some chakra in her feet.

Potamos shrieked as her body skidded on the ground in a cloud of dust. "Owie!" she wailed on the ground. "That really hurt!"

"I already knew that you were hiding in that puddle," Sakura called out. "It wasn't absorbing into this dry ground."

"Holy crap; she actually hit her!" Hinagiku exclaimed from the stands. "That took us _forever_ when —"

"Potamos is now in a weaker form," Scarlett interrupted. "Still, Sakura is keeping up in terms of speed." The love-angel's eyes narrowed on the sight below. 'I just hope that Sakura can last,' the redhead thought to herself. 'Potamos is a powerful water-demon, even though she's rather... juvenile.'

Potamos gave a complaining wail, as she remained sprawled on the ground. Sakura wondered whether the demon was going to get up at all. **'Is she giving up ALREADY?'**

Water enveloped Potamos' limp form. Sakura took this opportunity to put a kunai between her teeth and shuriken around her fingers. The blob of water around Potamos increased in mass, and then melted away to reveal ten copies of the demon. Sakura crossed her arms with her fists tight, ready to throw her shuriken.

'The real Potamos is one of them. I can feel her chakra going all over the place. She's a little sloppy with her spells — each clone has different cuts and bruises on their faces. If only saw her wounds after I kicked her, I would be able to figure out which one's which...' **'DAMN IT!'**

Potamos and her clones charged.

The pink-haired kunoichi threw six shuriken. One missed, but the others each hit a Potamos clone, disintegrating five.

'Crud,' Sakura thought as she bit the white wrappings on the handle. She skipped out of the cluster's reach. 'My canceling technique won't work for these. Clones aren't classified as genjutsu; they have some material substance. Potamos hasn't revealed yet whether her Mizu-Bunshin can fight on their own, but they definitely act as road-blocks.'

The kunoichi remained frosty. 'I'm in control, at least for the time being.' The only thing that said otherwise was the difference in power: Potamos clearly had more chakra to spare. The water-demon and her remaining clones ran towards Sakura as a mass.

'I'd have to break them apart to find the real Potamos, using either taijutsu or weaponry. The trap is too obvious: Potamos wants to surround me with her clones, close-up. In that state, it would be a four-in-five chance that I lash out against a clone while the real Potamos drives a water column through my gut. My only chance is to keep my distance, and make the clones separate before I attack.'

The pink-haired girl kicked off the ground, jumping out of the way. The five Potamos followed Sakura. Again, Sakura ran in a different angle, and all the clones followed likewise.

Sakura smiled. 'Okay, she's determined NOT to separate from her clones. That would mean that unlike Naruto's Kage-Bunshin or Zabuza's Mizu-Bunshin, they can't fight on their own. In other words, they're only props — like normal Bunshin. Now all I have to do is decipher which one is Potamos herself...'

Sakura stopped in her tracks. She took out the kunai in her mouth. 'I don't like to make fun of people, but this is the only way. Time to put on a little acting.'

Sakura laughed. "You call this a ninja-fight?"

A vein popped out of the real Potamos — which was hidden because of her purple wavy hair.

Sakura decided to she needed to go further. "I can see through all your strategy." Potamos and her clones frowned identically.

**'One more nudge, one more nudge!'**

"Plus, your aura REEKS like hell!" Sakura's voice was full of mockery. "It's like a skunk in the middle of the city!"

"WHAT!" the real Potamos shrieked in fury.

Her eyes then widened, realizing her mistake.

"There you are!" Sakura yelled as she threw her kunai. She knew it would likely miss — Potamos was too fast — but Sakura was ready to follow her with her eyes and body. Sakura jumped after the real Potamos.

The clones attempted to block Sakura, but she slashed them apart, all the time keeping her eyes on Potamos. "Get out of my way!" the kunoichi snarled.

Sakura threw some shuriken after her, which the demon dodged. "You wanted real ninja-to-ninja combat, right!" the human girl challenged. "This is what you get!"

"You're such a MEANIE!" Potamos cried out as she evaded Sakura's projectiles. "That was hazing! And it wasn't even the good kind!"

'I'll ignore that comment,' Sakura mentally noted to herself.

"I'll show you what real torture is!" Potamos exclaimed. A spear of ice formed in the hands of the demon, and she threw it at Sakura. Sakura formed a seal — 'Kai!' — and the spear dissipated into a mist.

'That genjutsu-counter came of use after all,' Sakura thought with a smile.

Potamos was surprised, but not impressed. "So you can cancel out illusions; lots of shadow-beings can do that! Now it's anything goes!" Potamos jumped away, and shot her hand into the air. "Hidden Mist!"

Clearly, bringing out a pool of water was not what Potamos had intended in her 'Hidden mist' spell.

But that was exactly what happened: the arena became completely submerged in water. It came up to Sakura's chest.

Potamos frowned in annoyance. "Pooey! But I guess this will work, too." The purple-haired girl heaved a sigh as she dipped herself into the water completely.

"Oh, crap!" Sakura immediately sent chakra into her palms. Being in the water, with a water-demon, was more than risky — it was suicidal. Potamos was trying to shoot water, in water, while Sakura was still in it.

The kunoichi pushed herself out and on top the surface, making it look as if it were simple as getting out of a regular swimming pool. Once Sakura was on top of the water, she felt the strong current underneath.

Sakura carefully got up onto her two feet and corrected her posture. She raised her right hand up to her chest. Her thumb, index finger and middle finger were straight up together, while the ring and pinky fingers were folded downward: half of a Tiger-In.

Potamos rose out of the water, and stood on its surface about twenty meters away from Sakura.

"You can't be a water-demon, too!" Potamos whined.

"I'm not," Sakura answered, molding chakra.

"Oh." Potamos fidgeted.

Sakura grinned. "Based on how much aura you're radiating... I'm guessing that you don't have the energy anymore to do your water-column vertically. Physics 101: Pushing something up is much harder than pushing it sideways or downward."

The demon's eyebrow twitched. "I still can, thank you very much. You leave me no choice. Sure, you've given me what I wanted, but it's not good enough!"

"A real ninja fight, you mean," Sakura intoned.

"Mmm hmm!" Potamos flashed a cute smile — which curled into a malicious grin a second later. "Thanks for at least trying! But now," she smirked, "it's over." She extended her hand over the water. Its surface began to waver.

Sakura's hands flicked together as she thought back. 'This will be my first time using it on a person, but here I go.'

(( "Otou-san, can you teach me this jutsu?" Sakura asked hesitantly, rolling out a scroll. He examined the section at which her finger indicated.

"Why this one?" He frowned. "I know how to do it, but this could be too high-level for you."

"But I don't have any real jutsu that stops the enemy in their tracks. Plus, Kakashi-sensei told me that I have some strength at genjutsu, and this is one such type!"

"But it's not like you to use this one," he insisted. "Do you know what it _actually_ shows the opponent?"

"I've had it done on me before," Sakura answered quietly.

Her father's eyes darkened. He sat down. "Oh, gods. Well, I guess if you're already around those types of ninja... You ought to know it, too. Come here." ))

'Otou-san taught me this because he wanted me to defend myself. Potamos wants to fight a ninja. That's what she wants; that's what she gets.'

The waves grew more turbid and violent. Sakura's hands stopped with the final In. **'I'm gonna SAY this one, just for you, Potamos! Taste it; YEAH, BABY!'**

"Kanashibari no Jutsu!" Sakura shouted.

Potamos froze. Red covered everything. It was her own blood. An enormous spear sunk into her chest, violently ripping through and destroying her heart.

Her voice broke into an ear-splitting scream.

'Another illusion?' Momoko thought to herself from the stands. 'But it's Sakura who's casting it... What is Sakura doing to her?'

The water-demon collapsed in shock. Her knees were still resting on the water, but they sent off shaking ripples across its surface. "Lemme alone!" Potamos wailed, crouching down and covering her head. "No! No! I don't wanna die!"

The water began to recede as Sakura walked toward the demon.

Soon, only a damp ground was left. Sakura's sandals became caked with mud as she trod through the soaked earth. She looked like a soldier, going through the somber remains of a war-ground.

The sobbing demon peeked up, only to meet the kunoichi's harsh glare.

Sakura pointed a kunai at her.

"You win!" Potamos screamed. "I give UUUUUUP!"

Sakura put back her weapon as the referee blew the whistle. "Winner: Haruno Sakura!" the speakers blared out, setting off the applause from the stands.

The pink-haired girl sighed in relief. She walked over to Potamos, and stooped down to inspect the water-demon. The jutsu's effect wore off, as Potamos was starting to realize what had happened.

"There's the ninja-fight you wanted." Sakura had to crouch like a hoodlum in order to be at eye-level with Potamos. "I'm sorry if it was a tad scary. But that's also a ninja skill."

Potamos hiccupped. The spell already had disappeared, but its memory remained fresh in her mind. She had very little ki left: Sakura's genjutsu made her lose control of her aura, thus making it fly out uselessly.

"That... that was an illusion?" she asked with a sniff.

Sakura nodded. "One of the many genjutsu my people use. You know, you weren't bad at all in terms of making and using your clones in strategy. With a little bit more control with your chakra, you'd make a good ninja."

Potamos' eyes started to fill with tears again. "You're so..."

Sakura rolled her eyes, waiting for the insult. 'Throw anything at me; I'm used to it by now.'

"COOL!" Potamos shrieked in admiration.

This totally caught Sakura off guard. What startled her even more was that Potamos was now hugging her mid-rift.

In the stands, Hinagiku's jaw dropped. Scarlett growled. Momoko and Yousuke could only watch while their ex-foe nuzzled against their daughter.

"Eh...EXCUSE ME?" the kunoichi asked.

"I've never had anybody really fight me like that! You're so NICE!"

"NICE!" Sakura exclaimed. She wasn't worried anymore about getting hurt from Potamos — after all, both were drained of their chakra. What concerned Sakura, rather, was this demon's psychological health. "I just showed you the image of _death_, and you call that, 'NICE'!"

"Everyone I've fought with before just kept blasting energy at my clones, and I was so, very, extremely, totally, BORED with the same icky way of fighting! You, however, saw through everything I said, and took ME seriously as a NINJA! I'm so honored that you did that! I LOVE YOU!"

Potamos let go of the dumbfounded Sakura. The purple-haired girl folded her hands together in humility and adoration. She looked up with hope shining in her yellow cat-eyes.

"Could you be my training partner?" Potamos asked meekly. "Pretty please?"

* * *

Notes:

For those of you wondering, I'll give you the answer: no, this will not be a yaoi/yuri. Sorry!

Yes, "Kanashibari no Jutsu" is the same one that Orochimaru used on Sasuke and Sakura. The ANBU used it, too, when they saved Anko from that pack of tigers right after she had a reunion with her old teacher.


	19. Solutions

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Very well, I shall answer some questions that people have been bugging me about. But I'll give the indifferent readers some slack and put the answers in the footnotes.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 19: Solutions

* * *

"Now let me get this straight," Sakura said. She and Potamos were seated in the cafeteria of the stadium. "You want ME to tutor you in the Shinobi Arts?"

"Well, yeah." Potamos bounced her two index fingers against each other. "I'm trying to become a ninja. I was told that getting the training for it was my best chance at controlling my aura — for me, anyway. I tried the martial arts school, but I hated it there..."

"WHY do you need to control your aura, though?" Sakura asked. "I mean: I'm a human girl, so I need lots of control to use my small supply. But you have more than you need."

"I have a lot, but that's my problem," Potamos softly whined. "I can handle it enough to make spells, but they don't... always work. Until I get better in control, I can't go to the human realm and visit my uncle who lives there. He raised me in the demon world, but then he had to go to the human realm. So I ended up in Minerva, and he's stuck there until he's done with whatever he's doing."

Sakura understood immediately. The human realm was off-limits to beings who had too much ki radiating from them. If an excessive amount of aura went off in the human world, Armageddon could erupt. Power-lines would break; natural disasters could go off by accident; all sorts of chaos would happen. Only those who could handle their spiritual energy were allowed in. Any unqualified celestial who wandered into Earth would immediately be caught by authorities, and sent back.

"So you train as a ninja, in order to get the skills to conceal your spiritual energy," Sakura followed.

"Mmm hmm!" Potamos cheerfully replied. "I can throw weapons and all that, but I fail in things like... hiding."

'Well, she's like Naruto to a certain extent,' Sakura thought to herself. 'Considering how badly I treated him at times, I really shouldn't turn down this request...'

"But... I have to train, too, you know," the kunoichi said, a little hesitant. "And our strengths are so different. You're trying to control your extra chakra, yet I'm trying to gain mine."

The water-demon lowered her voice. "Wanna have some ancient scrolls on those hand-seals you use? There are a few in the Ninja Mansion's library."

The kunoichi suddenly became very interested. 'Ancient scrolls?'

"As a guest, you can't go into the library," Potamos continued, "But I can borrow the scrolls as a student, and then hand them to you. Of course, if that's not good enough—"

"I'll do it," Sakura resolved. **'SHAAAANNAROOOO!'**

Potamos squealed with delight. Just at that moment, a shadow fell over Sakura.

"Sakura-san, where were you?" Minoru asked. His blue eyes fell on the person sitting across the table, and his mouth opened in shock. "Oh, my, goodness..."

"Potamos and I are going to start training together," Sakura said with a grin. "We can help each other in ninja stuff."

Minoru's tone was that of annoyance. "Sakura-san... The girl has no blood-lust left, but —"

"Hey!" Potamos complained. "Stop talking as if I wasn't here!"

"Why not?" Minoru coldly replied. "Up until now, you have held nothing for Sakura-san except a thirst to eliminate her."

"I wasn't trying to _eliminate_ her!" Potamos said. "That was just battle-lust!"

"Blood-lust," Minoru corrected.

"Battle-lust!"

"Be quiet, both of you!" Sakura exclaimed. "Minoru-san, she has something in the Ninja Mansion that I might find useful."

"90 percent of the people come out of that house with injuries, on the _first day_ they enter it," Minoru intoned.

"Duh!" Sakura and Potamos said in unison.

Minoru stared at the two girls. He then closed his eyes in frustration. "I give up," the elf sighed. 'There's no arguing with two girls of the same opinion,' he thought to himself, 'and I'm too old to even attempt it.'

He had a feeling that this would end up in disaster. Sakura probably wouldn't die — but a disaster, nonetheless.

* * *

"Takurou-kun, when do you predict the next wormhole will appear?" Momoko asked. "It's already been a while, and we have to see the state of the Shinobi World..."

The scientist typed several numbers on his computer. "If we let space-time take its natural course... It may not be for another... four years or so."

"FOUR YEARS?" Yousuke said. What would he and Momoko say to Sakura?

Takurou adjusted his glasses. "Don't get so nervous. There's something we can do to speed up the entire process. If we can get enough energy to force the right type of wormhole to open..."

"How much energy?" Momoko interrupted.

"Well... this much, to be exact." Takurou clicked and opened a file in his computer. He scrolled down to the bottom of the page: Momoko clapped her hand over her mouth, and Yousuke simply let his hang wide open.

"That would cost us a fortune!" Yousuke exclaimed. "Are you _sure_ that this much is needed?"

"Because I saved the data from the last dimensional exchange, I know what kind of wormhole is needed for getting Sakura back to her world. Just like a fingerprint, the exact wormhole to get to the exact dimension is one identification marker."

"We just need a SOURCE for that amount of energy." Yousuke let off a sigh. "And we can't buy it."

"And it can't be from living people," Takurou warned. "This is different from the individual energies that all beings have. What we need has to be pure and raw."

A red-haired angel sitting in the corner folded her hands calmly. "I know of such a source," Scarlett said. "The springs in the Rifts."

"Rifts — you mean those places that are the borders of the realms?" Momoko bit her lip. "Those areas are uncharted, Scarlett! Except for the elvin villages, most of it is in martial law. Even a few countries of the demon realm have more stability than those places."

"And it's impossible to map those areas, because they constantly change," Yousuke said. "Such a mission for the sake of just one human girl..."

"No government in their right minds would sponsor it." Hinagiku said. She sighed. "It would have to be done on a volunteer basis. And who would do such a crazy trip?"

"Sakura would do it," Scarlett coolly answered.

Momoko was now very worried: what limits did Scarlett put on her daughter? "Sakura is a good fighter, true, but I don't think she could handle something like—"

"Not in her present state," Yuri commented. She looked thoughtful. "But... if Sakura undergoes six months of intensive training, she can visit those energy-springs."

"But Sakura can't go alone!" Momoko exclaimed.

"Of course not," Scarlett replied. "She has made friends with the Elf of the Vines, and Potamos as well. Mind you, I still have strong doubts about the water-demon. But the elf — _he_ is perfect for the job."

"Minoru, the elf who lives down the street?" Yousuke appeared surprised. "I had no idea Sakura was hanging out with him. But Potamos... argh! I know that she lost her memory when we resurrected her, but still..." The half-demon visibly cringed.

"I don't like the idea, either," Scarlett said. "But the elf and the water-demon are probably the only ones who would willingly do it. If it were not for our responsibilities, we could do it ourselves..."

Momoko rubbed her eyes. "We'll have to look further into it later. Once we have more information."

* * *

Sakura was chopping up green peppers over a cutting board. Her vision was getting blurry. She took a couple of deep breaths. Her eyesight turned clear, then fuzzy, and back again.

"Sakura, you look very pale," Mrs. Suzuki commented. "I think you're sick; you're in no condition to help me."

"No... I... I can handle it..." Sakura wobbled as if she were intoxicated. **'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'**

The cook pulled the chopping knife out of Sakura's hand, and touched her forehead. Mrs. Suzuki's eyes widened. "You're going to bed, young lady."

The older woman firmly grasped the girl's wrist. She dragged her out of the kitchen and into Sakura's room. "Now you change into your pajamas and lie in bed. Don't try to refuse, because I've already decided! You're sick!"

Sakura sighed, and did as she was told. 'Well, I guess I don't want to chop my own fingers off.' She staggered to the dresser-drawer. She pulled out a nightshirt, and plopped herself down on the bed.

'Why do I feel so strange?' She had an enormous headache. It was different from the pain when she first came into this dimension, so it probably had nothing to do with chakra.

Sakura thought back to the morning. She made a quiet gasp. That pink potion-drink that Minoru gave her. 'Did he... drug me?'

**'THAT BASTARD! If he poisoned me I will haunt him as a ghost and make his life a living hell!'**

Before she could think about it any further, she lost consciousness. Half-dressed, her body fell onto the soft bedding.

* * *

Sasuke suddenly felt dizzy. Something was telling him to sleep — which was strange, because he had enough rest the night before. And the night before that... and the night before that.

"I'm going to bed," he said gruffly. He put down his chopsticks next to his half-finished meal. Orochimaru frowned, and Kabuto raised an eyebrow.

'Damn it,' he thought as he staggered through the hallway. 'This is one hell of a push. Is there something wrong with my body? Do I have the flu? No...'

He dropped onto the hard wood floor.

* * *

Notes:

Yes, I do plan to have Sakura come back home. This story will end when Sakura arrived back at Konoha, and I might later make a sequel to it. That means...

To Jade Eyes: go ahead with doing a one-shot. It might turn out to be totally AU from what I plan in the story, but that's fine with me. It's not uncommon for writers to write fanfiction on fanfiction. (Like how Guardian of Stars wrote "Mercury's Paradox", a AU-sequel to KingofMercury's "Mercury Twilight". If you're into Sailor Moon fanfiction, those two are the greatest.)


	20. The Meeting

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Oh, yes. Potamos is not my own character; she does exist in the Wedding Peach series. I own Minoru, though. (Oh, that did NOT sound right. But you know what I mean.)

I regret to inform my readers that I will be off on a 20-day culture-trip of art museums. (Oh, YES!) I do not have a laptop of my own, so chapter 21 won't come out until I'm back. But I will be doing 'research' in the museums. (Hard-core art is great if you want to do fantasy.) In the meantime: be critical, and give your comments and suggestions.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 20: The Meeting

* * *

"Sakura-san... Sakura-san!"

Sakura opened her eyes. She was enveloped in a warm set of arms. The gentle, flowery aura was already familiar to her.

"Minoru-san?" Sakura mumbled. The pink-haired girl was back in her red oriental dress. Minoru held her up, floating in a dark-blue void. The air was chilly, but he was so warm. As Sakura looked up in the elf's gentle face, she immediately forgot how she got here.

"Is this a dream? You're really nice to hug..." She cuddled closer to him. This made the elf a little uncomfortable, but by no means did he resist.

"Sakura-san...um... I have to give you a bit of unexpected information, which you might not like... Remember that potion-drink I gave you this morning? It is part of a spell I'm doing for you."

She giggled. "Was it a love-potion?"

He gulped. "No. And by the way, this is part-dream, part-reality, so be careful of what you say to me. After this enchantment, we will both remember everything that happened."

"Oh." Sakura started to pull away from him, blushing furiously. Yet he kept her hand grasped tightly in his own.

"Be careful!" the blond elf warned. "You still have to be in contact with me in order for this to properly carry through. Because the potion is specific, the instant you let go of me will make you snap back into the real world."

"What's this for?" Sakura asked, her face still beet-red.

"Sakura-san, I'm giving you an opportunity to see a special person of yours in the Ninja world. This is a sort of spiritual plane we're on. The laws of dimensions still apply here, but the restrictions are looser. If there's a strong bond between two souls, they can meet each other with the aid of this spell."

The kunoichi forgot all of her embarrassment with those words. "So... I can talk with any of my friends or family there? I can tell them I'm alright?"

Minoru fidgeted. "Well... yes and no. It was already decided before the spell was cast. But we seem to have some complications. The potion did the full job on your side. But I had to perform a complex spell for the other person. It demands a lot of aura, especially if they're in another dimension." He bit lip, impatience showing in his blue eyes. "But your special someone is very resistant. Strong will."

"Strong will?" Sakura frowned. "Well, whoever it is, it's probably Naruto or Lee."

"Remember, you don't have to be seen or heard by the other, unless you want to. And letting go of me will release the entire spell."

* * *

Sasuke got back off the floor, staggering to his feet. His master crept up behind him.

"Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru leered. "You do not have to fight that mark I gave you. After all, it makes you stronger."

"Mind your own business," the boy growled. He dragged his feet towards his bedroom. "Damn... I'm not going to give in..."

Orochimaru turned around, letting Sasuke make the journey on his own. He re-entered the kitchen, and addressed the white-haired medical ninja.

"Watch him," the sennin ordered to Kabuto. Orochimaru was secretly excited. After all, Sasuke was one of his experiments, and anything new that came up was just another discovery. "Sasuke is faltering, but it's not because of the curse. Some other power is happening to him."

"So I've noticed," Kabuto replied.

* * *

Minoru sighed. If they had to wait any longer, he would have to take drastic measures.

Sakura was becoming concerned with the elf's expenditure of chakra. "Minoru-san... if this is too difficult for you, you don't have to —"

"Ye, gods. You have a stubborn mule over there, Sakura-san." The blond elf closed his eyes and whispered some words together. The spell increased in power.

It finally brought something of an image.

What appeared before Sakura was not the fox-boy, nor any of the people she had expected. Instead, it was a blurred image of a boy with spiky black hair and a Sound hitai-ate. He thrashed against the air, trying to resist the spell.

"Oh, shit!" Sakura yelled out, recognizing the person. She hid behind the elf. "Minoru-san, don't let him see me!"

"He can't. Remember?" Minoru gently reminded her.

"Of all the people I have a bond with," Sakura muttered, "it had to be him. I never want to see him aga—"

She stopped mid-sentence: Sasuke's curse was starting to activate.

"Oh, no," the girl whispered.

That did it. Sasuke's black eyes locked onto where Sakura was, as if —

"Minoru-san. I think he can see me."

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, thus confirming her suspicions. He flinched as more and more of the black markings appeared. "Where am I? And whom are you talking to?"

"He can hear me, too! Minoru-san, this is not what you promised!" Sakura panicked as her head darted to the elf.

Minoru's face was grave. "No matter what you say to me, Sakura-san, it is obvious that you want to speak with him. You should stop lying to yourself and finish the matter."

Sakura gulped. She glanced back to Sasuke.

Sasuke was fighting with everything he had to get out of the spiritual plane. His own will failed him, so he simply took the next step: Orochimaru's curse. It pained him to use it, but he was not giving up anytime soon.

"Sasuke-kun, stop!" Sakura pleaded. "You'll just hurt yourself more if you do that!"

She had a point. Besides, Sakura seemed to become more visible as he grew more and more powerless, something he wanted to happen — not growing weaker, but seeing her.

He finally gave up using the curse. His image was now crystal-clear to Sakura, and hers to him. The black markings covered half of his body now. But otherwise, the two could now see each other perfectly.

Sasuke still had his suspicions about this place, and the Sakura in front of him. The whole situation could easily have been another dream. But there were distinct features which refuted this hypothesis. For example: while dreaming, the scenery changed every thirty seconds. In contrast, this place did not budge — and neither did Sakura. Gone, also, was his restlessness that characterized the normal sleep-state.

The pink-haired girl was slightly different from the Sakura he left in Konoha. This would be expected after not seeing her for months. She looked similar enough to be his former teammate; she still had on her red dress, ninja gear and sandals. Her hair was now shoulder-length, but it was the same, rose-colored hue.

"Sakura... what is this place?" he asked.

"Half-dream, half-reality," the pink-haired genin sheepishly explained. "It's a special — jutsu — that's allowing me to talk to you."

Without warning, Sasuke's curse woke up again. "Oh, crap," he mumbled. He guessed that Orochimaru was trying to pull him back via the seal.

Minoru carefully observed the curse. He was unfamiliar with the strange markings, but he could tell that it was anything but kosher.

"Sasuke-kun, that curse is getting out of hand!" Sakura had to drag Minoru along to reach Sasuke.

With her free hand, the girl brushed her fingers over the original seal. She did it only to examine the curse, and perhaps calm the boy down.

To both her and Sasuke's amazement, her touch made the black markings crawl back into his neck. In no time at all, the three-wheel mark was all that was left. It was as if the pink-haired genin made a powerful counter-seal — without all the fuss of molding chakra or hand-seals. It was also a lot less painful than what Kakashi could do.

Sasuke's eyes bore into hers. "You can't be Sakura."

"Look at me," she insisted to him. "I swear, I don't know how I did that. But I _am_ Sakura." Her green eyes were firm, yet gentle. They were a great deal more mature than what he saw before.

Minoru tugged at Sakura's hand. She turned her head to the elf, and he pointed at his wristwatch. "We have one minute left," he urged.

"There's a _time limit_?" Sakura flared. "Why didn't you say so in the first place!"

Sasuke frowned. He was irritated that Sakura kept on glancing and talking to thin air. She was too old to keep an imaginary friend.

Sakura huffed, and turned her head back to Sasuke. "Anyway... um..."

"Where are you?" Sasuke demanded. "The news reached even the Sound that you disappeared."

The Sound. Sakura bit her lip. "I..."

Minoru nervously stroke his finger across his neck, indicating a knife-cut. "Nothing about a different dimension or a different world, Sakura-san," the blond elf warned.

"I can't tell you," Sakura blurted out to her former teammate. "But, don't worry about me. I'm just in a place... that's safe, okay? And if you can tell my parents —"

The mark on Sasuke started to burn again. "Argh!" Sasuke clawed at the symbol. "Damn you, Orochimaru!" he cursed.

"Sasuke-kun, why can't you just go back to Konoha and get that sealed up?" Sakura exclaimed. "After all, I'm not there to bother you anymore! Why the _hell_ do you have to be with Orochimaru!"

Sasuke's eyes turned red. He glared at her.

The kunoichi gave a frightened gasp. She had no more wish to help Sasuke, much less talk to him. She let herself disappear from his sight.

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled out, his eyes fading to the normal black.

"Sakura-san, he is concerned about your well-being," Minoru softly said. "And he is experiencing so much pain. Are you just going to leave him there?"

Sakura heaved a sigh. She decided to allow just one more appearance to Sasuke. It would be good to make her orders clear to him, anyway. She faded back into his view.

"Sakura! I —"

"Please send the message to Konoha that I am well," Sakura calmly told him. "But they should not waste their time looking for me. I may not come back."

"But —"

"As for you: I wish you luck in avenging your clan."

She vanished from his sight.

A shinobi never shows his true feelings. Sasuke recited the saying in his head. The boy's face was completely blank as he hung in the freezing, dark-blue void. His stature was that of the perfect, emotionless ninja. The only flaw was that his fists were shaking, white around the knuckles.

Inside, part of him was in a state of shock.

The kunoichi turned back to Minoru. "Minoru-san, I'll see YOU later." She let go of the elf's hand.

* * *

Sasuke found himself lying flat on the floor. Orochimaru and Kabuto were looking down at him. His heart was beating nervously, as if he had just escaped a pack of hungry lions.

"Was I... out of it?" Sasuke asked. He suddenly felt ashamed of himself. 'Why couldn't I resist that force? Am I that weak? And... Sakura is...'

"Not quite," Kabuto replied. "Your body was asleep, for the most part. Your face looked as if you were in pain. Your seal started to activate and recede at times, too."

Sasuke got up. In a perfectly normal fashion, he walked to his room.

Kabuto gave a questioning glance at Orochimaru.

"Leave him alone," Orochimaru hissed. "Once he's asleep, I'll check for any changes in his curse."

'Oh, damn,' Sasuke thought down the hallway. The listening skills he picked up from Orochimaru were starting to kick in. In fact, he was quite sure his master whispered that aloud just to torture him. The thought of having a fifty-year-old, morbid sennin examining one's neck in the middle of the night: it gave anything but solace to the teenager.

Sasuke entered his room and dropped onto the futon.

'That wasn't a dream,' Sasuke thought to himself. 'It was too real. But where is she? Her answer was too vague. She could be in heaven, for all I know.'

He curled up under the blanket. The terrible feeling of loneliness was there to haunt him, like always. He was used to this. But when Sakura gave him that odd farewell, something inside him broke.

* * *

Sakura's eyes shot wide open. She was lying on the bed, stomach-down, drenched in sweat. With only her fishnet tank-top, sports bra and bike shorts, she was at risk for catching a cold. Something in her was screaming to get out, and she knew what it was. She zipped her dress back on and jumped out of the window.

She ran to Minoru's house, and banged knocker on the door. "Minoru-san!" she called out. "Minoru-san!"

No answer came. There wasn't even the sound of footsteps from within. The door was locked shut.

"Oh, come ON!" The kunoichi rattled the knob. It gave her a painful zap in response. "OUCH! Stupid magical lock-system!"

She tried to kick in the door. It did not so much as budge. "Minoru-san!" she screamed.

The door unlocked with a tiny click. It opened slowly, to reveal a tired-looking elf. Minoru's wavy, blond hair was out of its usual ponytail.

"Sakura-san... I am so sorry..." the elf whispered. His blue eyes were downcast. "I did not mean for that to turn out so —"

Sakura suddenly embraced his mid-rift. She held him there for a very long time.

Then she started to cry.

Minoru, not knowing what to say, hugged her back. He felt responsible for her grief. After all, he was the one to give her that potion. It was he who exposed her to that cursed human. It was all his idea in the first place. If he had not pulled this crazy stunt, she would not be so upset now.

"Sakura-san... I am now sorry that I did not ask you first. I had a feeling that you would get scared of my abilities, so I gave you that potion without telling you about its true nature. But... perhaps Sasuke will indeed tell your parents, and they will not be so grief-stricken."

"I — don't know — if he will," Sakura sobbed. Her tears soaked his green robes. "He's a missing-nin. He — betrayed — our village..."

Sakura did not come here to chew Minoru out. Indeed, she was thankful for his effort. She was glad that he was here. He was probably the only one in this dimension to whom she could fully cry her heart out.

As she cried in Minoru's chest, something wet fell on top of her head. The kunoichi looked up. She was baffled to see a tear rolling down Minoru's cheek. He quickly brushed it away.

"Minoru-san..." Sakura sniffed. "You're — not the one — who has any reason — to cry..."

Minoru blinked, causing more of it to fall out. 'Impossible — I, Elf of the Vines — _crying_? Absurd!' His words came out awkwardly. "I am crying... because you are crying."

"Minoru-saaaan..." Sakura wailed in agony as she hugged him closer. "I've caused you — so much — trouble — "

* * *

Minoru carried Sakura home in a piggy-back. With both Potamos' dual and the mind-link spell on the same day, she was exhausted.

"Minoru-san..." Sakura murmured. "Thank you. You really are a good friend."

"It was nothing at all," the elf replied.

Sakura's lower lip started to quiver. Minoru grew nervous: he thought that she was going to cry again.

Instead, Sakura gave off a tiny, mouse-like sneeze.

Minoru stopped in his tracks, with the pink-haired girl still on his back. He began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked indignantly, knowing full well the answer.

"Your sneeze sounds just like that of a chipmunk!" The elf laughed. "I ought to record that and sell it to a children's theater company. I would make a fortune!"

"Shut-up!"

"It's so cute! You have a nice, miniaturized voice."

Sakura's face burned. "I am not a child!" she said hotly.

"You're not a child; I know. But only according to human standards. If you look at the big picture, though, I'm 120 years old, and you're just 13."

"Minoru-san," she grumbled. "I don't want to be babied."

"And yet I am giving you a piggy-back ride."

"Argh! You are so impossible!" Sakura slid off his back, and started to stomp towards the gate.

Minoru grabbed her hand, and smiled at her. "I apologize, Sakura-san. I had no intention of hurting your feelings."

The kunoichi shivered, and sneezed again. Minoru could not help but let go of a little snort. "I think all that cold water with Potamos weakened your immune system for a short period of time. As of now: go to bed."

"Okay! I'm going, I'm going." Sakura shut the gate behind her. She gave a light wave to the elf before she opened the front door. "Good night!" she called out.

She lightly closed the door behind her.

"Good night, Sakura-san." Minoru trod back to his ivy-covered house. He smiled to himself. 'I haven't laughed and cried like that for years.'


	21. Takuji

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own Ranma 1/2. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that my trip has been extended. The good news is that my friend has a computer. So for the sake of faithful readers, I'll upload another chapter.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

Chapter 21: Takuji

* * *

"Sacchan!"

Sakura stopped her kendō practice. She turned to see Potamos at the front gate of the Fuuma property. The purple-haired demon twirled about in her red fairy dress.

" 'Sacchan' ?" Sakura asked quizzically. She slid Tennyo back into its scabbard, and walked toward the gate.

"I can't call you that?" The water-demon pouted. " 'Sacchan' is so cute!"

"...It's fine." The kunoichi smiled, and opened the gate to let the water-demon in. "But Potamos, you're a little early. It's one o'clock. Our meeting's at three."

It was the afternoon before the Final Four of the junior tournament. Sakura had been down with a cold the previous day, and had to postpone the first training day with Potamos. The result was a quick recovery — and a more antsy water-demon, by the looks of it.

Potamos twirled around. "I just wanted to see if you recovered from the cold, and you didn't tell me anything about chakra exercises yet. Now that you're okay, you've gotta teach me SOMETHING, and THEN when I'm practicing you can go back to your kendō!"

Sakura grinned at Potamos' long request. "Okay. Let's see... Have you ever done tree-walking?"

The demon cocked her head to the side, utterly confused.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. 'What _are_ they teaching in that Ninja Mansion in this dimension?' Yet she kept her calm. "I know you can walk on water, Potamos, but I guess that was because you used your natural connection with it. I want you to use your chakra in a totally, non-water sort of way."

Sakura pointed at the great oak in the yard.

"Here's a basic practice I learned from a teacher of mine."

* * *

Potamos charged toward the tree. "Potamos is coming!" she yelled out in enthusiasm.

The water-demon tripped before she even reached the trunk. Her body fell forward. She hit the hard roots of the oak — with her forehead.

"Owie!" She wailed. Sakura sighed.

* * *

A slightly dirty Potamos ran, and planted two clean steps on the trunk.

"YEAY!" she cheered to herself.

On the third step, a jet of water shot out from her foot, causing her to spin in the air. Her head banged against the iron fence, and she crumpled on the grass.

Sakura winced. That looked like it hurt. "Potamos, are you okay?"

"Sacchan... Ya sure this'll help me on control?" Potamos asked groggily.

* * *

"Now remember, don't get frustrated or irritated."

A bruised Potamos kept a nice smile on her face. "Don't worry, Sacchan. I'M PERFECTLY CALM!"

The water-demon charged.

"Perfectly calm; that's me!" she sang. She made four steps up. "Minimal ki, minimal ki!"

And minimal ki she did. On the fifth step, she had too little aura pumping into her feet — thus, losing her balance and falling down. The ground was turning soggy from all of her previous attempts.

Potamos got up from the mushy ground, glared at the tree, and aimed her hand at it. "I never liked vegetables! DIE!"

"Potamos, CALM DOWN!"

* * *

A family sat together at the dinner table. A green-haired woman passed the bowl of rice to the two raven-haired men across the table. One was her husband, and the other, her son. A green-haired, six-year-old girl sat next to her mother. Takuji and his little sister, Kaori, were the spitting images of their parents.

"Takuji, you and Sakura made it this far," Hinagiku said. "Do your best shot! She's a tough nut."

"Kaa-san," he mumbled. "I'll do fine. But unlike her and the rest of them, I'll do it with some honor."

"Don't take that tone with me, Takuji!" Hinagiku scolded. "You've done well, and your father and I are both proud of you. Don't be so critical of other people's fighting methods. Even Sakura worked with hers."

Takuji was wise enough to keep further comments to himself. 'I still think it's dirty. I've worked so long for getting some aura out of me, and still nothing.'

Takuji had recently earned his karate black belt, already at the age of fourteen. His mother was his instructor — but by no means did he go up the ranks because of their familial relationship. In fact, just to prove to the other students that she was NOT favoritizing her son, Hinagiku made him do extra stuff in the dōjō. He was a hard worker, so he complied with his mother's orders. With his good grades and mastery in karate, he was known as somewhat of a prodigy.

Yet as they say: like father, like son. His father, Takurou, had been teased in school because he was a superstar in the academics and terrible in sports. As for Takuji, he was teased because he excelled as a human, but failed as a celestial. He took this very personally, just like his father did in junior high.

His sister, Kaori, would certainly turn out to be a different story. Like her brother, she was smart and loved martial arts. But she would get less slack than Takuji. Why? Because she was a girl.

It was not cool to tease girls, especially the daughter of a martial arts instructor and a famous scientist. But if it was their genius SON, it was perfectly acceptable to pick on him. Torment the boy of his weird deficiencies. He was a half-angel, yet he showed no signs of angelic powers. He had glasses. He worked his ass off in normal combat skills and studying, because that was the only thing he could do. After all: as a _guy_, Takuji could take it, right?

Takuji always noticed — both in the dōjō and at school — that whenever he achieved something, a girl doing the same thing would receive more praise and attention. He felt a tiny hint of injustice with this.

It was not that Takuji held anything against women. Indeed, he adored his mother's strength and courage. He loved and protected his little sister. He dreamed about having a girlfriend.

But he could not understand the entire system of it. It was as if _he_ was expected to do everything, take everything, achieve everything; while for the opposite sex, they were encouraged and cheered on by friends and family. Their slogan was, "Do whatever you're best at; we love you no matter what." All Takuji got was: "Do it."

'Aren't I good enough?' he asked himself often. If he had any guts, he would ask his family members — and maybe the whole damn world — the exact same question.

* * *

Minoru was on his way home from a meeting. He decided to pay Sakura a visit, but thought again when he heard yelling and screaming coming from the Fuuma residence. He frowned to himself as he came closer.

"Potamos is coming!" he heard a peppy voice sing. There was a loud splash — a thud — and then a groan.

"That was better!" another called out encouragingly. Minoru immediately recognized the two voices.

The elf rounded a corner, and peeked through the gates. The Fuuma lawn sparkled with dew. 'Of course it's that demon,' he thought. 'This place had been devoid of rain for two weeks. With that pest's control of aura, becoming a spontaneous water-sprinkler would be easy as pie...'

Sure enough, Potamos was doing the tree-climbing exercise that Sakura had demonstrated to Minoru. Sakura observed the water-demon's progress from a distance, miraculously dry. The kunoichi rested the sheathed Tennyo over her shoulder.

'It's only two o'clock,' the blond elf thought to himself. 'Why does Potamos have to take away Sakura's time? Sakura has responsibility to no one in this realm.'

Potamos ran up, and flew off with another spray of water.

Minoru rolled his eyes. 'I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-san. I have no wish of dealing with Potamos until I absolutely have to. And that shall be quite soon.'

The blond elf quietly walked away from the Fuuma residence.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Final Four round of the Junior Tournament!" The announcement echoed through the arena, and seeped into the waiting-rooms.

Sakura wished that the speaker did not make such a big deal of it. After all, "Final Four" sounded just like "Final Eight". Really, it was nothing that exciting. It was merely — higher in rank. And it was second in importance to the final round. And keep in mind: this was only the _junior_ tournament.

'And only one day of practice...' Sakura slumped in her chair.

Her opponent was Amano Takuji, the son of the Super Love-Angel Daisy. Takurou and Hinagiku — they had a son. Sakura never met the boy, but Sakura could bet that he probably was as smart as his father and powerful as his mother. Sakura also realized that she had never actually fought an angel before. Takuji was only half, but that made no difference. After all, Momoko and Yousuke were half-human, yet both of them had earned their names as fearsome celestials.

"First match of the Final Four: Haruno Sakura versus Amano Takuji!"

**'Would you just SHUT-UP, you god-damn announcer? I already know what you're going to say!'**

The kunoichi banged through the doors and strode towards the center of the arena.

She carefully observed her opponent. Amano Takuji was quite handsome with his intelligent-looking spectacles. His dark hair was identical to his father's, except that it was cut short. All he had on was his gi and a normal pair of zori.

Sakura frowned. 'What's he playing at, showing up only in a normal karate uniform?'

Takuji kept a stern face, although he was really shaking inside. 'If I had any guts, I would say this to you out-loud. Haruno-san, don't think that I'll go easy on you. I will not treat you like a fragile girl, because you're not! You are a worthy opponent — you are strong ninja. Because of that, I will not hesitate to use any means in this battle, and I expect you to do the same.'

Takuji took his battle stance. Sakura did likewise.

"Ready...GO!" The whistle blew.

"Yaaaaaah!" Takuji yelled out. He charged at her.

"SHAAAANNAROOOO!" Sakura answered. Apparently, Takuji wanted to start out with normal hand-to-hand combat. Sakura couldn't turn this down. She was itching to put her taijutsu in practice again.

Takuji performed an excellent spinning kick, and Sakura ducked it. She made a lower kick, which he blocked by falling his heel onto her foot. Their sparring was a marvel to watch.

The two were nearly equal in hand-to-hand combat. Their styles were by no means identical, but their bodies moved smoothly in sync. Takuji had a better form and blocked more. Sakura was faster in evading. To the onlookers, their fight almost looked like a dance.

Sakura realized that Takuji would win if she kept going like this. He simply had more experience in physical combat. 'He's almost as good as Lee-san. I've got to use a little chakra in my legs.'

Sakura's form disappeared.

Takuji's reflexes kicked it. In an instant, he caught Sakura's hand before she hit the back of his neck. "Quit it with that pressure-point stuff," he growled.

Sakura threw her other fist at him.

He saw an opening. He blocked Sakura's punch by grabbing the wrist, and twisted her arm around his shoulder. Takuji elbowed her in the stomach, quickly and efficiently. Sakura winced in pain. It gave time for Takuji to throw her across the battlefield.

Sakura did not scream as her back skidded on the ground. She was too busy digging in her shuriken holster. 'Think of the ninja training back home,' she thought to herself. 'The art of distraction!'

From the cloud of dust, the half-angel saw two small objects fly out. He dodged both of the shuriken. The dust settled, and there was a dirty Sakura getting up from the ground.

'I don't care if you use weapons,' Takuji thought. 'Use whatever you have.'

He felt a powerful kick behind him. He flew forward, going through the Sakura in front of him — which disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Takuji quickly realized what had happened. 'I kicked Sakura away, and within that cloud of dust she threw her shuriken. When I was distracted, she left a clone in the dust, and the real one ran out and made a circle behind me... I've got to be careful; ninja are escape artists!'

He heard a few whips against the air. 'More projectile-weapons,' he noted. Takuji jumped up and ran, dodging the line of kunai Sakura threw. Their blades stabbed into the dry ground.

Sakura calculated her options. 'I have to rely on long-distance ninjutsu or genjutsu. He's obviously better at hand-to-hand combat, and he's too fast for regular weapon-throwing.'

Sakura thought of using her Kanashibari, but then pushed the thought down. She had to learn how to fight in other ways. It was stupid to depend on just one jutsu that drained too much chakra. And even if she could use it, Takuji would probably counter it: some strong love-angels could see through illusions.

Sakura gripped two kunai in each hand. She concentrated. Takuji was far enough from her to give her time for powering her weapons.

Takuji took a fighting stance, waiting for Sakura to come after him. He then noticed that the pink-haired girl's kunai were glowing a slight blue.

He froze. 'She already know how to use ki for an offensive attack? And in _weapons_, no less? I knew that she could walk walls and water, but this is just...'

Sakura noticed Takuji's bewildered face. She became confused. Wasn't he a half-angel? Why wasn't he chanting something and throwing a magic attack at her right now? Come to think of it — why wasn't he using _any_ magic at all?

Then it hit Sakura: Takuji had no idea how to utilize ki, despite his celestial blood and advancement in the martial arts. Sakura had originally guessed that he focused on karate, just because it was his specialty. But as it turned out, his angelic powers had not awakened at all.

Sakura gave a tiny grin. 'This weakness could play to my advantage...'

The kunoichi threw a kunai at him. The powered-up weapon was abnormally fast. Takuji dodged it, but only barely. Its blade grazed his right arm, leaving a stinging cut.

Takuji earned a black-belt in karate, but that was a short-distance fighting style. In this situation, he had to get closer to Sakura. The raven-haired martial artist started to sprint towards the kunoichi, and she threw another aura-filled kunai.

The weapon sunk deep into his shoulder. Takuji yelled out in pain. He grabbed its handle, and forcefully yanked the kunai out of his flesh.

Sakura quickly came up with a plan: 'I don't have enough chakra to perform a genjutsu, so I might as well stick to basic ninjutsu. I'll make three of myself, run around him, and while he's distracted with my clones I'll throw shuriken at his legs to disable them...'

The kunoichi's fingers tapped together in a sequence, and she made two clones of herself. 'Bunshin no Jutsu!'

Takuji was hurting. And it was not because of the wound in his shoulder. He was hurting inside. He had nothing personally against Sakura. He was glad that she was fighting him with everything she had.

But the way things were turning out, he would lose this match. It would mark him as a failure. Sakura was a thirteen-year-old human — one year his junior — and she already could produce ki attacks. It really should not have mattered; he dodged most of the magic attacks his previous opponents used. He beat them all in the end anyway.

Yet Sakura was winning. Oh, how his classmates would tease him now! The great and all-mighty Amano Takuji, ousted by a human girl. What Takuji hated more than anything was teasing, even if it was over some stupid little thing. He could put up with them — after all, they featured his entire life. But the insults were always the same. And they accumulated over time.

(( "Half-breed!" ))

(( "Is he really supposed to be Angel Daisy's kid? He can't even bring out aura." ))

(( "He's just a teacher's pet." ))

All of the comments he got from his classmates echoed in his mind. He couldn't take it anymore.

'If this is the end, then I might as well try it!' his thoughts screamed.

Sakura hid two shuriken in her hands. But then, she noticed a peculiar change in the air. If there was anything to describe it, it was a sickly, putrid green.

And it seemed to be coming out of Takuji.

The realization hit Sakura. 'He _can_ use chakra-based attacks?'

"Shi Shi Houkoudan!" Takuji shouted. A burst of ki emitted from his body.

A column of green light charged at Sakura. It was too fast and had too wide of a diameter. She couldn't even dodge it using chakra in her legs. It slammed into her and disintegrated her two clones. The aura enveloped her body.

'Shit,' Sakura thought as everything turned a bright green, and then blacked out. 'I underestimated him.'

* * *

Notes:

"zori" - Japanese sandals woven from straw.

"Shi Shi Houkoudan" - yes, this comes from Ranma 1/2 (the character Ryouga uses it). It was unoriginal of me to use it (look at the disclaimer), but I could think of nothing else for Takuji's personality. How it works shall be explained in the next chapter.


	22. Training Intensive

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 22: Training Intensive

* * *

Sakura's eyes slowly opened. She was dressed in a white hospital-robe. Several cuts on her body were cleansed and covered with ointment. A few bandages laced her arms and legs.

Potamos shrieked above her. "She's awake!" The water-demon glomped onto Sakura's tired form.

A blond elf pried the demon's arms off of Sakura. "Sakura-san has a need to _breathe_," Minoru stated to Potamos. He then turned his eyes to the patient. "Sakura-san, how do you feel?"

"Potamos? Minoru-san?" Sakura mumbled. She noticed that Momoko, Yousuke, Scarlett, and Hinagiku were also in the hospital ward. "What happened?" The kunoichi's thoughts turned back to the last scene she saw. 'That's right... Takuji's entire body started to glow green and...'

"I... lost?" she asked.

"Yup," Hinagiku said. "Sorry that my son did that to ya'. I would have him come in now, but the doctors are bandaging up his shoulder."

"Sakura, you fought well," Momoko said.

Sakura's face remained blank. She had expected this to happen, sooner or later. Takuji was an awesome fighter. Yet she couldn't help but worry, that —

"Sakura." Yousuke had to grin a little. "If you're still hung up about being transferred to the human realm, you don't have to worry about that anymore."

Sakura looked up. A light of hope?

"Yup, Sacchan!" Potamos punched the air in triumph. "I heard everything those officials said! Members of the committees came in while you were knocked out to tell Mr. and Mrs. Fuuma that you won't get transferred to the human realm. You were just too good for a normal human — took them long enough to guess that. So that means you get to stay here with MEEEE!"

Scarlett's mouth was two, blood-red slits.

Yousuke rolled his eyes. "Um... yeah. What she said."

Yousuke and Scarlett hated the water-demon with a passion, especially in regards to her actions during the Great War. Sure: even they, Viento of the Fuuma-Zoku and Super Love-Angel Salvia, could treat her incarnated form with civility. Potamos had no memory of her previous life.

But still, they did not like being around her. With that artificial reincarnation, the worst possible thing about Potamos came back to haunt them: her personality. That was it — Yousuke and Scarlett despised Potamos' morbid cuteness.

Sakura, meanwhile, was relieved that the entire tournament was over for her. She was a little downcast that she lost, but she had gone far, and she was proud of herself. **'Plus, those damnable committees are off my heels. I'm FREE!'**

"Sakura, you did very well in the tournament," Scarlett congratulated. "You even made it to the Final Four. And there is no shame in losing to Takuji-kun."

"Although I have to ask him about that last move," Hinagiku muttered, her arms crossed. "I had no idea he trained for it."

"What was that attack, anyway?" Sakura asked.

"It's an aura attack, called the Shi Shi Houkoudan," Minoru explained. "It is generated from the depression of the user. The energy merely knocked you out; thank God. It was not strong enough to damage your flesh or internal organs."

Sakura gave a mental shudder. If that ki attack had been more concentrated, it could definitely have given her something worse. But what concerned her more was the very idea that the son of Takurou and Hinagiku would do such an attack. An attack made from depression?

"Do you still need to rest here, Sakura?" Momoko asked. "The doctors said that you're fine, but if you feel like staying..."

"Get me out of here," Sakura quickly said. "...please." She had attended the hospital-shrines long enough, and had grown tired of its cuisine. After all, hospital food in this dimension was vile as at home.

Scarlett raised a halting hand. "You're not leaving just yet, Sakura. I must talk with you. Momoko, Fuuma-kun, I think you should stay. Minoru, Potamos, you are dismissed."

Potamos whined. "But I wanna —"

"DISMISSED."

Minoru dragged the water-demon out of the ward. "Don't cross Angel Salvia, devil-child."

"Awww..."

The door slid shut. Scarlett rolled her eyes, and turned back to Sakura. "Sakura... Now that the tournament is over, I think it's time for me to teach you iaidō, as well as kendō."

Sakura blinked. "Iaidō?"

"As you already know, iaidō, or the art of sword-drawing, is often practiced in conjunction with kendō. We'll have to rearrange your schedule at the dōjō a little. But I think you need to specialize more in swordsmanship. You have a long road ahead, so you might as well get started."

"But my classes with Hinagiku-sensei..."

"Not ALL of her classes," Scarlett firmly reassured. "You will spend one-and-a-half hours in her dōjō, instead of the normal three hours. Our sessions will be longer, and I expect you to train at least five hours per day on your own with your katana. You will need to develop your sword-fighting skills and aura better if you want to get back to the Ninja world as soon as possible."

Sakura's jaw dropped. She was not so much baffled about the physical over-load she was about to undertake — after all, ninja missions could last anywhere from a couple of hours to months. What shocked her more was that there was a real possibility for her to go back home.

"Go back to the world of Shinobi?" **'It's about time!'**

**

* * *

**

Potamos charged towards the tree. She had recently finished her classes at the Ninja Mansion, and now she was practicing the tree-climbing exercise Sakura taught her. The water-demon was getting better. She didn't have to use a knife to mark her progress; her water did the trick.

Potamos had no idea that she was just one result of an experimental spell. This spell was now banned, classified under "forbidden magic". It took an unbelievable amount of aura for the user; it killed more than half of the well-trained magicians who attempted it.

After the Great War ended, most of the demon countries gave in to the truce, war-beaten and tired. Bitter feelings still lingered, both in the angel realm and demon realm. Yet the majority of both just wanted it to end in peace. The only country that wanted to hold up was the country of the fire-demons.

The beings of fire launched out attacks against its neighboring countries, calling them traitorous. The angels offered help, but only a minority of them had been allowed to join. The demons also had their pride. Meanwhile, the resurrection spell was invented by a magician living in the Rifts. The news of this enchantment was picked up by an angel spy.

Pretty soon, the water-demons were accused of not participating enough in the civil war. Diplomats counter-argued that the water-demons' numbers had been greatly reduced during the Great War. As a surprise 'gift', the angels decided to try the new experiment on a few water-demon women who were barren. And if they just brought back the particularly powerful ones, sending in angels would not be so necessary against the fire rebels.

What the enchantment basically did was: it isolated and brought back the soul of a dead person, as long as enough of their ki remained in the spot they died. When the 'essence' was captured, it would be infused with a vitality charm, then get implanted into the uterus of the same species-being. Thus, only a water-demon in a water-demon, only a sprite in a sprite, etc. The complex process was sort of like making a spiritual clone. The reincarnated subject would have all of their past memories erased — yet they would strangely develop similar quirks and likings.

In her new life, Potamos was raised by her mother and her mother's brother. She was five year's old when that incident happened.

(( "Mommy, what are we doing?"

Her mother held Potamos by the hand. "We're going on a trip, Honey." She glanced at her brother. "Are you sure this will work?" she whispered to him. The three were all dressed as run-away human peasants.

"It will, Watercress," he answered, not loud enough for Potamos to hear. "It had better, anyway. That's why she was born."

After walking for three weeks, they reached a flat desert. A group of bandits watched them from above. The leader raised the signal.

"Here they come." Potamos' uncle smirked. As they drew nearer, he and his sister ran, with Potamos slung over his back. Watercress fell behind, with the stampede of bandits coming towards her. This was all an act — his sister could fight them off if they got too close. What they needed was for Potamos to awaken her full powers.

"Mommy!" Potamos screamed. "Uncle, Mommy's still there!"

"They won't hurt her," he said.

"YES they will!" the little girl shrieked.

Her uncle looked at Potamos, and he smiled. "Okay. We've got to go in there and kill them. We'll protect Mommy."

He ran back to his sister, just in time to cover her.

"Potamos, you've got to freeze them!" he yelled at the child.

"Freeze?" The five-year-old was panicking as she guarded her mother. The riders were coming.

Potamos shot her trembling hand towards them. She doubted herself: she could only freeze water, one cup at a time. How could she do the same to these scary people — in a dry, waterless desert, no less?

"DO IT, Potamos! Or your mother will get KILLED!"

Potamos' eyes widened. 'Killed. Killed.' The words repeated in her mind. When she snapped back into reality, she saw the lead bandit aim an arrow at her and Watercress.

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY MOMMY!" Potamos screamed.

The leader got the full brunt of the magic: a large ball of water materialized in Potamos' hands, and shot it at him. The blast absorbed quickly into him — his face turned a sickly white. His hand grasping the bow froze shut around it.

Potamos' uncle materialized a spear of ice in his hands. He threw it at the frost-bitten rider. This was no illusion: it stabbed through the rider's chest, tearing apart and stilling his heart. He fell from his horse like a statue. The half-frozen body landed on the ground with a soft thump.

The bandits realized that this family was composed of celestials. They sounded out the retreat.

Potamos' eyes were locked on the bloody, stiff carcass. A new, yet so familiar thrill seeped into the little girl's heart. She created another ball of water in her hands, and was prepared to shoot it after the rest of the bandits.

"That's enough, Potamos." A hand touched her shoulder. Watercress smiled at the little girl — yet she looked so sad. Potamos did not understand her mother's reaction, but she obeyed. "Our trip is over. We have to leave this place now." ))

The resurrection spell came at a high political price. When this information leaked out to the fire-demons, it angered them even further. The angels, in essence, modified the laws of nature and rebirth set by the gods. And anger was what made fire-demons reckless and powerful. They increased their forces against the water-demon country. A troop penetrated the village where Potamos lived.

(( Potamos sobbed in her mother's chest. The two were hiding in the stable. "Mommy..."

"Shhhh," Watercress hushed to her daughter. She had killed off about ten fire-demons before she ran into the house, and pulled Potamos with her to hide in the stable. She cast an anti-fire barrier on the room — it would probably last about six hours. Hopefully, the enemy would be satisfied with seeing only a pile of ash, not noticing the life it held underneath.

"You must be quiet, Potamos, and wait for Uncle to come save us. If by any chance they find you, then RUN. Kill them if you need to — but run, okay?"

The aura of Watercress was nearly depleted. Her normally sleek, dark-purple hair was burned up. All that was left of it was a charred scalp.

Many burns covered her skin. Despite the pain, she gave a smile to her purple-haired daughter. "Potamos, I love you. I am so glad to have had you in my life... You are my baby."

Her eyes closed as she hugged Potamos for one last time. In a burst of blue sparkles, her body disappeared. Potamos' arms went through the space her mother occupied just a second ago.

It sunk in. Her mother was gone. This was how demons died — what was left of their bodies would re-join nature.

"Mommy…"

Potamos' uncle burst into the room. He was clad in his full battle uniform. He noticed the presence of his sister's ice-spell, and guessed that they were hiding here.

"Watercress! Potamos!" he yelled out.

"Uncle..." The little girl sobbed from below.

He looked down, and realized that his niece was totally alone. That could only have meant one thing.

He grabbed Potamos' hand. Now was not the time to mourn for his sister. They had to run. ))

Potamos still thought of her mother, although she stopped talking about her a long time ago. She missed her uncle. She would do anything to see either of them again.

She remembered how beautiful her mother looked right before she died, even with blood and third-degree burns all over her body. It was as if the woman laughed at death, and took it willingly. This was another reason why Potamos enjoyed fighting: she had a chance to see her mother's face again, in other people.

Of course, Potamos had to sift it out from the many opponents she encountered. And was ever so difficult to accomplish. Most of her peers simply got cold feet — literally and figuratively — when they went up against her. Potamos rarely was impressed with the teenage warriors in civilized country, but she had to fight them if she wanted to get higher up. For the present, she had to be in an ordered society for her to keep on living. Minerva was one such society. At her present state of chakra control and lack of family, none of the realms would accept the young water-demon.

Potamos wanted to taste both love and blood. She wanted to visit her uncle. She wanted to become a spy and assassin for a government. This was why she trained at the Ninja Mansion.

Most of her teachers, of course, thought that her goals were too high. She showed no signs of control whatsoever, and she was too cheerful to spy without being noticed. A warrior and an assassin each required different skills, and Potamos was extremely deficient in the latter. She could kill on a whim, yes — but there was no point if you were going to get caught. The only reason why she was not kicked out of the Ninja Mansion was because the city pressured the school to keep her. She was too restless and dangerous of a creature.

And then, Haruno Sakura came along. This human girl was a real ninja, who used any means to bring down her victims. When Sakura fought Potamos all-out, and then complimented her on her skills, the water-demon was ecstatic. This was her opportunity; she begged Sakura to help her train. Not only did Potamos find a new teacher; she found a new friend as well.

'Mommy, Uncle, Sacchan! I'm doing okaaaay!' Potamos wanted to yell this out to the whole world as she sprinted up the trunk.

She slipped, and landed carefully onto the ground. Her yellow cat-eyes glinted as she took note of the markings. She made it half-way up the tree.

* * *

Sakura drew Tennyo out of its scabbard. She was dressed in her newly-bought montsuki and hakama. It was about time, too — she had been practicing kendō in her normal clothes for nearly a month, and now she was starting iaidō. This loose-fitting uniform felt much more comfortable to practice in than her red dress.

'Mom and Dad,' Sakura prayed as she carefully pulled out her katana, 'I will do whatever to come back to you.'

She reviewed her kendō moves. Swordsmanship felt different, yet so natural, for Sakura. All her life, she had been trained as a ninja, with kunai and all sorts of small weapons which could be easily hidden. Now she studied to be a samurai.

It was almost a contradiction in terms. In theory, a shinobi gave the mission the utmost importance, while a samurai fought for honor and justice. In many ways, their beliefs were often exact opposites to one another.

Of course, Sakura noted to herself, real life was a different matter. Many ninja had a sense for honor and justice, and samurai could twist their bushidō to justify any action. Some samurai even killed off their own peasants for fun, claiming that they were being disrespectful. **'Those morons!'** And the various Kage and high-ranked ninja avoided starting wars, even sacrificing their lives to prevent them.

So in a way, there was nothing wrong with Sakura learning kendō and iaidō. It might take her several months — or years — to get back to the Ninja World. But she wanted that wormhole open as soon as possible. She had friends and family over there: end of the discussion. If she had to get stronger in a non-shinobi way, so be it.

Sakura carefully put Tennyo back in its scabbard.

Now it was time to test her iaidō. She had to draw the sword out, quickly, gracefully, and efficiently. Sakura cleared her mind.

Her green eyes snapped open. Her right hand drew out the katana in the fast, stylized motion of iaidō.

Her first attempt was not bad — but it wasn't good, either. A tiny cut formed on her left palm. Her left hand held the opening of the sheath, and so her palm had been very close to the blade itself.

Sakura winced. She examined the cut on her left hand. 'It's my first iaidō move with Tennyo, and I end up hurting myself...'

A twig snapped from behind her. Sakura quickly turned around, making a kendō stance to the intruder.

It was Amano Takuji. He held a basket of fruit in his hands. "Amano-kun! How did you get in here?" Sakura asked.

Takuji gulped. "My... mom is visiting the Fuumas now."

Sakura realized that she was still in her fighting stance. This was unwise, not to mention very rude. She relaxed herself and began to put away Tennyo.

"Wait, wait!" Takuji exclaimed. "Um — May I see your katana?"

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "You're into sword-fighting, too?"

"N-No," he stuttered, "but I often look at the stuff they have on exhibition in the dōjō. And I heard from... my mom... that you got a real sword of your own..."

Sakura delicately held the weapon out to Takuji for him to see. He adjusted his glasses, and studied the blade.

"Ethereal," he breathed. "She's beautiful. Thank you."

The kunoichi shrugged, and put the blade back into its sheath.

Takuji then remembered why he was here. "Oh! Haruno-san... I'm here to give you this fruit-basket." The sentence ended in a high-pitched crack. He coughed in embarrassment. Boys took puberty so much harder than girls.

Takuji was extremely nervous with this situation. He had one large weakness: any cute girl who was nice to him. Haruno Sakura became one of those few. This trait of Takuji did not affect him during yesterday's match (solely because they were attempting to make each other unconscious). But now that Sakura was a meter away from him, looking wonderful in her new kendō uniform, listening to every word he said...

Sakura gazed at the slightly extravagant basket. "Thank you, Amano-kun. But that looks a little expensive... and I'm not sick or anything."

"Um... well... It's just a thank-you gift from me, for your help..."

Sakura looked at him, but not critically. "My help?"

"Well, you see... Before I fought you, I never could produce ki. I had practiced for nearly a year to achieve the Shi Shi Houkoudan, but nothing happened. But during our match, your seriousness... and strength... made me more and more depressed. And that helped me."

Even though it was so bizarre listening to his explanation, Sakura followed him perfectly. In basic terms, he was thanking her for taking him into the depths of despair. She knew well that the Shi Shi Houkoudan had to be powered by depression.

Takuji adjusted his spectacles. "...Yesterday, you pushed me over the edge — and because you did, I finally... _got it_. And now that I have the Shi Shi Houkoudan, I think that maybe... my angelic powers will awaken more quickly. I just wanted to thank you — in some way."

The half-angel gulped. He had to now swallow some of his pride, but something told him that was obliged to.

"And... I'm sorry..." he mumbled out.

The kunoichi thought this politeness touched the absurd. "Amano-kun," Sakura said, "there's no need to apologize for beating me in a tournament-setting. We were opponents, for crying out loud."

"It... shouldn't have been that strong," Takuji explained nervously. "I knocked you out for almost four hours. It just... came out of me, and when I came to my senses, you were lying on the ground. It was my first try — but that's no excuse." His head went down into a bow. "I'm really, really sorry!"

'He's so cute!' Sakura commented to herself. The kunoichi accepted the basket of fruit. "Thank you," she politely said. "Besides, I should thank you, too. You taught me something in that fight as well. I wish you luck for the final round."

Sakura paused to consider what she just said, and then re-phrased it. "I mean, I hope you lose." She grinned.

Takuji looked a little surprised for a brief second. But in an instant, his face cracked into a tiny smile. 'She's sharp,' he noted to himself.

"Ha… Haruno-san... Could you come watch my match?"

* * *

Notes:

"montsuki" and "hakama" - these are worn by practitioners of aikido, iaidō, kendō, and kyudō. The montsuki is a kimono-like blouse, which is black in winter and white in summer. (At all formal events, it is black.) The hakama is a wide set of pants that looks like a skirt.

"bushidō" - means 'the way of the warrior'. Much like the Western concept of chivalry, bushido was an ethical belief, not a fighting system.


	23. Scrolls and Finale

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 23: Scrolls and Finale

* * *

Potamos dumped three large scrolls in front of Sakura.

"The covers are labeled in the modern writing, but inside I can't read a thing because it's in ancient script." Potamos started bouncing on the bed. "The librarian was really suspicious of me, since I don't check out things like these. Usually I read about tactics."

Sakura traced her fingers over a roll. "Did you see the librarian perform any spells on these, or switch them with anything else?" she asked. "Some scrolls have calling-spells in them. I almost opened one, and I would have failed an exam if someone didn't stop me..." The embarrassing incident in the Forest of Death was vivid in her mind, even now.

Potamos casually took a scroll, and rolled it out on the bed.

A big 'thump' was heard. The water-demon turned around to see Sakura with her back against the wall, looking very nervous.

"Don't worry, Sacchan! These don't have spells or curses set on them," Potamos cheerfully said. Sakura slid down the wall in relief. "The ninja scrolls which are allowed out of the Mansion aren't dangerous. They don't even have specific jutsu in them; the masters teach us the jutsu in secret. The student-library just has background info. Only teachers and advanced ninja are allowed to read jutsu-scrolls." The lavender-haired girl pointed to the rolled-out scroll, which Sakura still had not touched. "But look at this one; I got it from the history section. It has your hand-seals in 'em!"

"So security is really tight in the Ninja Mansion," Sakura murmured. "It's just like at home. You can only learn a specific jutsu from another ninja who already knows the technique — or, obtain a scroll and learn it yourself. I still don't know how the Kage-Bunshin got to Naruto..."

"Fish cakes?" Potamos tipped her head to the side. "Carbohydrates? Food?"

"Naruto is the name of a close friend of mine," Sakura said. The kunoichi got up, and walked over to the bed. Her face loomed over the yellow parchment. She breathed in its sweet, musty smell. 'Thank the gods that I actually studied ancient script before I came here.'

Her green eyes scanned the text and complex diagrams. Sakura could not decipher some of the kanji; they were so old and outdated. But she was familiar with the grammar, and perhaps she could find a dictionary later to increase her word-power.

"You know, I've never seen anything like this," the pink-haired scholar said as she rolled another scroll out. "This gives so much about the In — more than I ever learned in the Academy. A full chapter dedicated to each hand-seal. And then the thirteenth chapter explains the system of chakra flow and how they relate to the elements..."

"Kinda like that," Potamos chirped. Something clicked in her brain. "Why does saying that sound so déjà vu? Oh, well, it's fun..."

Sakura ignored Potamos' self-talk, and darted her eyes through the scroll. The kunoichi seemed deep in thought.

Sakura shot her head back to the water-demon. "Potamos!" she barked.

Potamos jumped. "Yes?" She was a little worried that she did something wrong. Did she pick the wrong scroll?

"This is just... AMAZING!" Sakura's face was bright. "Even if there's no new jutsu while I'm here, reading this stuff will make me learn them faster later. Well, only maybe — it might turn out to be completely useless — but still, I have something new to figure out."

"So... you're happy that you have something that could turn out a waste of time?" Potamos fluffed up her wavy, purple bob. Sakura was weird, even for a human.

"The material looks accurate. Everything I learned at home matches with what this scroll says. This just has more detail, by far."

"Where's your home?" Potamos asked. Her yellow cat-eyes looked down. "Are you going back soon?"

Sakura twiddled a strand of pink hair between her fingers. She was still wary of telling Potamos too much information about herself. "Well, I really don't know when I'll leave."

Potamos frowned. "Oh, c'mon, Sacchan! Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me—"

"Potamos..."

"Can't you at least train me until I become a full-fledged ninja?" Potamos whined. She was obviously worried. 'What if Sacchan doesn't train me enough?'

"Potamos, I _don't belong_ here," Sakura said. She sighed at Potamos' downcast face. 'At least, I don't think I belong here,' the kunoichi mentally added. Sakura rolled the scrolls back up. "Look, Potamos, you're a friend of mine. I WILL tutor you. But I won't necessarily be there throughout your entire training. I have friends and family someplace else, just like you."

"I... I think I understand." Potamos' face brightened back up. "I have a special person that I wanna see, too."

* * *

Sakura rolled on her bed. Tomorrow was the final match of the junior tournament. She was looking forward to watch Amano Takuji fight.

She had already set her clock to ring at six. The stands were destined to be crowded, and she wanted a good seat.

She would have preferred to stay at home and watch the tournament on television. Watching the live broadcast gave convenient things that a stadium seat did not offer — such as camera close-ups, replays, comfortable seating, and an air-conditioned room. Yet Sakura felt obliged to go and cheer for Takuji. After all, he was such a gentleman the other day. And some part of her felt a little pity for him. She had no idea what pushed him into obtaining a ki attack based on depression, but it could have generated from a sad past.

A sad past... Just like many in Konoha.

As Sakura thought about it, she realized of how lucky she had been in Konoha. Naruto and Sasuke were both orphans. Sakura, too, would have been one — or even dead — were it not for her adopted parents. Kakashi, Tsunade, and many others lost friends and family from war, just because they took up the life of a ninja.

Sakura was beginning to wonder whether she should continue as a shinobi, once she got back to Konoha. She would be home, true. But otherwise, what use would she have there? Would she be a genin all her life? She possessed very few skills that she was truly good at. Well, perhaps her genjutsu and medicinal knowledge were nearing the level of a chuunin. But before Sakura dropped into this new dimension, she had hardly any experience in real combat.

She did well in this dimension's tournament, but it was only a junior-level tournament. Most of her opponents did not use the strategy needed for even B-ranked ninja missions. Cardella had a good spell, but she had no second plan for backup. Jura was... a bull in a china shop. Potamos was somewhat there with ninja tactics, but she had a long way to go. Takuji had the best fighting skills by far, but he got through because Sakura had not foreseen his Shi Shi Houkoudan.

If any of them had fought like that in the Chuunin finals, they all would have failed, regardless of whether they won or lost the match. Sakura highly doubted whether beating them would be proof that she was qualified as a real shinobi.

'I've been raised in comfort my entire life. Nobody at home expected me to be anything great. It's true that Tsunade-sama picked me up, but I am just one of her many medical apprentices. She probably tutoring Hinata right now; Hinata's healing creams are the best...'

Hinata. It was through Naruto that Sakura first learned of Hinata's medical abilities. Sakura, pondering further, recalled how Hinata acted very — peculiar — when the energetic boy was around.

In fact, it was very rare for Sakura to see the shy girl at all, unless Naruto was in the same setting. It was as if...

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God. Hinata likes Naruto."

Sakura had to say it out-loud, even if it was midnight, and in someone else's house. Everything fit _perfectly_. The numbers added up to only one answer. The scientific proof was consistent!

'Those glances Hinata gave Naruto, all of the medicines, how she seemed to brighten up whenever he was around... HINATA LIKES NARUTO.' The phrase repeated in Sakura's mind for a while. And then the next observation was directed toward herself. 'Why didn't I realize this _sooner_? I am so _stupid_!'

Naruto had an admirer. And she was a pretty good catch herself. The heiress of the Hyuuga clan!

A part of Sakura's heart made a twinge with this realization.

When Sasuke abandoned Konoha, Sakura slowly took a more realistic approach to love and marriage. It was rather ironic: Uchiha Sasuke, who had a block of ice for a heart, taught her something important in the way of love. The young kunoichi subconsciously came to believe that once she was of proper age, she could wed Naruto or Lee. The marriage might not be a bed of roses — but what marriage truly was? Naruto and Lee were both eligible to be a good husband, and a good father. Each liked Sakura enough to put up with her for the rest of his life, to father her children, and most of all: to create and share memories with her.

Indeed, Sakura started to feel a little threatened by Hinata. After all, the blue-haired girl was sweet, pretty, and from the main branch of the great Hyuuga clan. She was a little quiet and gloomy. But her personality also had its strong side, as she showed in her fight against her genius cousin Neji.

If Naruto ever did become Hokage — and Sakura was sure that he most probably would — all the girls in Konoha would clamor for his hand in marriage. And now that Sakura was gone from the Shinobi world, Hinata had Naruto all to herself...

Sakura brushed it out of her mind, realizing that jealousy was taking over her. 'Stop being so selfish! Naruto deserves her... more than he deserves me...'

Sakura hugged her pillow.

'That's enough thinking for tonight. If I do it any longer, I'll never fall sleep.'

* * *

It was seven-thirty in the morning. Minoru sat at a park bench. Potamos was playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. Neither felt like speaking to each other.

Sakura came up, panting.

"You are late, Sakura-san," Minoru casually observed. Potamos' cheeks puffed out in frustration.

"I'm sorry!" Sakura apologized. "Kakashi's habits rubbed off on me..."

"Scarecrows?" Potamos asked. "I like life-size dolls, too!"

"Never mind," Sakura said. She refused to ponder what the water-demon meant in some of her offhand comments. "Let's get to the stadium!"

* * *

Sakura slumped in her seat.

"Already half-full when we got here..." Sakura sighed in disappointment. "My fault. Takuji-kun probably won't be able to see me from this angle."

"Don't say that, Sakura-san," Minoru said. "From here, he'll notice you because of your pink hair and Chinese-style dress."

"Other people have pink hair, too, you know," Sakura said with a tiny grumble. She looked down to where Momoko was sitting.

"Die, Amano Takuji!" Potamos burst out. "How DARE you beat Sacchan with your cheap human aura!"

The people around them looked at Potamos, as if she had recently escaped an asylum.

A vein popped out of Sakura's forehead. "Potamos, we're here to _cheer on_ Takuji. Not discourage him."

"Oh." The purple-haired girl sat back down.

The tournament music started, and the announcer's voice rang throughout the stadium. "Ladies and Gentlemen: welcome to the final round of the Junior Tournament!"

Takuji and his opponent walked to the center of the arena. The audience clapped and cheered. Takuji looked up, and saw Sakura waving at him. The half-angel waved back. He was dressed in the same karate uniform, with the blood washed out and the various holes made from weapons sewn back together. His plain attire was a stark contrast to that of his opponent.

On the other side stood a youth with brown hair and brown eyes. A sleeveless copper-crusted shirt covered his upper half, and he wore black pants. His footwear consisted of leather boots that seemed to have dead vines twisted around them. Silver jewelry with tiger-eyes encircled his limbs.

"Our two finalists have arrived!" the speakers boomed out. "Amano Takuji versus Angel Linton!"

The fighters took their stance.

"Ready...GO!" The whistle blew.

Takuji charged at Linton. In response, a staff warped between in Linton's hands.

'Big deal,' Sakura thought. 'Takuji can dodge almost any weapon.'

Linton raised the staff, and swung it to the ground. "Catacomb fissure!" he yelled.

A huge chasm broke into the earth.

Sakura's jaw dropped. "What the hell?"

"Linton is an earth-angel," Potamos explained. "Strong, and very handsome, too!"

"I hate him," Sakura resolved.

Takuji kept his cool as he dodged the fissure coming at him. He jumped to the side, avoiding the crack, and closed in on the earth-angel. He performed a spinning kick, which was blocked by the staff.

"Amano!" Linton snarled. "Get your angelic powers kicking if you're really Angel Daisy's son!"

"Mind your own business," Takuji growled. He landed a punch on the earth-angel's face, and then kicked him in the stomach. Linton flew across the field.

"Yes!" Sakura yelled.

"That's a little too early to say that," Minoru quietly said. Sakura gave the elf a puzzled look, and he pointed at Linton. As her eyes fell upon the earth-angel, she saw a circle of sparkles around his form.

Linton got up from the dusty ground. The bits of light around him turned out to be jewels. A large number of them burst out of the earth.

"He can pull crystals out of the ground?" Sakura asked weakly.

"No just any crystals," Potamos said in glee. "Diamonds. They're really hard and sharp!"

**'What a waste, SHAAANNAROOOO!'**

"Diamond Missile!" The earth-angel gave his command to the projectiles. They flew at Takuji.

The boy screamed as the sharp crystals danced around him, slashing his gi. A few jewels imbedded themselves in various places. Blood started to appear on the clothing.

"Come on, Amano-kun!" Sakura hissed under her breath.

Despite being wounded, Takuji gave another go, preparing to land some more hits. Linton's staff spun, and aimed for Takuji's stomach.

Takuji's hands caught its end. He raised Linton into the air, using both a twist in the staff and a rising side-kick. Linton was forced to let go of his weapon, and Takuji performed a series of kicks and punches.

Linton gritted his teeth as he guarded himself against the assault. 'Damn, he really is getting better,' he thought.

Takuji finished with a throw. Linton yelled in pain as he slammed on the ground.

Now was the time to end the match: Takuji crossed his fisted arms around his chest. He started to radiate green.

Sakura's fists clenched in excitement. This was it. **'GET 'EM, AMANO!'**

A ball of green energy grew between Takuji's palms. "Shi Shi Hou—"

"Level Three, Ground Slam!" Linton shouted.

A large chunk of earth burst out in front of the glowing Takuji, and flew right into his stomach. A look of surprise passed through the youth's face. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he took the hit.

Linton's projectile crumbled apart within seconds of impact, but Takuji kept moving. His body painfully scraped against the diamond-studded ground.

Takuji's body halted to a stop.

Sakura could not believe it. She was shaking inside. This was the power of an earth-angel?

Linton scoffed. "You lose, Amano."

"Amano-kun!" Sakura screamed.

Takuji slowly got up. He clutched his stomach, panting heavily. He faced his opponent.

"Hmpf." Linton picked up his staff, and leaned on it. "Amano, show some common sense."

Takuji spat out red. "Like YOU would know any meaning of it."

Linton scowled. "You're hopeless."

Takuji glared in return, the brown eyes flashing angrily over the rim of his glasses. He noticed, aside from the pain, that his eyelids started to feel heavy. 'No, I can't give in now!' he screamed inside.

The raven-haired boy fell into a heap on the ground. The whistle blew. "Winner: Angel Linton!"

The medics shot towards Takuji, and lifted him onto a carrier.

Sakura got up from her seat.

"Sacchan, where are you going?" Potamos asked.

"I'm going to the hospital ward," Sakura answered. "Minoru-san, which way is it?"

Minoru pulled Sakura down. "Sakura-san, I understand your concern for Amano-kun. But right now, the awards ceremony is taking place, and everybody in the stands must watch. Your early departure would give people ideas about your manners, whether or not you are aware of it."

"I don't care!" Sakura exclaimed. "Amano-kun could be dying right now, Minoru-san! What Linton did was... argh!" She was starting to become very irritated with the applause ringing around her.

"Put your confidence in the medics," the blond elf soothed. He gently put his hand on top of Sakura's. "Amano-kun will be fine, Sakura-san."

* * *

Notes:

"Naruto" - fish cakes, of a much higher quality and density than your average fish stick (which is 'surumi' in Japanese). They're sliced and eaten with other dishes, especially ramen.

"Kakashi" - means 'scarecrow', which is very ironic, considering that Kakashi is supposed to be very hot underneath that mask. (If you've ever seen that Naruto omake, you would know what I mean.)

"Kinda like that" - in the Wedding Peach series, Potamos has a little quirk of saying this at the end of every sentence.


	24. Preparation

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 24: Preparation

* * *

Potamos rolled on the Fuuma lawn. "Hey, Sacchan, wanna visit the Ninja Mansion as a guest? It'll be fun!"

Sakura halted her kendo practice. "A private tour? Did your teachers invite me?"

"No," the water-demon said in a matter-of-fact tone, "but I asked the principal if any visitors were allowed, and he said yes. Pretty soon, I was asking if you could come. He told me that it was about time you were invited, and then he said that he'll talk to Angel Salvia about it. Then he told me to go back to class."

An idea occurred in Sakura's mind.

"Do you think they might have some old weapons that they could spare?" the kunoichi asked. "I'm low on shuriken, and my kanshaku-dama expired a long time ago. I also need kunai."

"Tons!" Potamos exclaimed. "There's a big attic which nobody goes to, and I play with the old weapons there."

Sakura creased her eyebrows. "I see..."

* * *

Sasuke trod down a rocky mountain. He was on a mission to gather data from some obscure, little village in one of the minor countries bordering the Cloud Country.

The mission had its risks, of course. Even if this country had no ninja, there were some hired or missing ones about. And this was a solo mission: Sasuke had no teammates to depend on.

Overall, though, Sasuke could handle this minor job. He was disguised as a peasant traveler. If in case of an emergency, he had his Sharingan and the curse seal at his disposal.

Orochimaru preferred to teach his genius students one at a time — this was why Anko had no teammates when she was a genin. The snake-man knew perfectly well that Sasuke could do this meager job his own. He also trusted that Sasuke would not take this opportunity to bolt.

Quite frankly, Sasuke had barely any chance to go back to Konoha. Although he had not killed any Konoha ninja or assassinate any important political figures (yet), the genius would be in a rough patch if he returned without a reasonable explanation. He was not an S-rank criminal, but Sasuke would have to do something big — very important — to prove his so-called loyalty to the village. Orochimaru's head on a silver platter would definitely do it. Or Uchiha Itachi's. That would not happen anytime soon.

Sasuke looked at the creek below. He walked up to it, and plunged his blood-covered weapons into the stream. He had just killed a missing-nin from Iwagakure, the Hidden Stone.

Sasuke did not have much choice at the time. It was the other guy who pounced on him. It was a rare event when a ninja randomly attacked a commoner; they would have to be pretty desperate. Perhaps the idiot had wanted food — or a map.

The situation changed when he found out Sasuke's true abilities, of course. He then went all out, blind to everything except a survival instinct. Sasuke avoided killing the man — at first. Yet when Sasuke realized that his enemy was mentally insane, he decided that this was a life-and-death situation. He slit the man's throat without further thought.

'Amateur,' Sasuke commented inside. 'If you're a missing-nin, you have to deal with other ninja, not kill them. Nobody can survive in this world alone.'

Woaw, where did _those_ words come from? It was from rather an egotistical perspective, true. Yet it held quite a wide-spectrum, social truth. And Sasuke preferred to be anything but social.

Sasuke looked at his reflection in the rippling water. For an instant, he turned his Sharingan back on. He wondered whether there was any change in them after his week-long journey.

Three wheels in each red orb. Yet their experience was nothing close to that of Itachi's eyes. Well, it was not as if this mission was anything challenging. Sasuke was just hopping from village inn to village inn.

Sasuke blinked, and the normal onyx came back.

That dream-sequence with Sakura had been a month ago. And it still tugged at his conscience. He was trying to figure out how to fulfill Sakura's request without Orochimaru knowing about it. Sending anything to Konoha was ludicrous. Getting caught by Orochimaru had its penalties.

Even writing a letter during this trip was risky. Paper was expensive and hard to obtain in this dirt-poor country, and Orochimaru had given Sasuke a thin purse for the journey. Even if Sasuke did find something to write on, his penmanship would immediately be recognized in Konoha. The material of the paper would trace its origins, and he would be sought after there. Orochimaru's plans would turn complicated with more Konoha ninja in that area, and the blame would immediately fall on Sasuke.

Despite the odds, Sasuke felt obligated to grant Sakura's wish. He wanted to do justice for at least one dead person.

All right, so there was a possibility that Sakura was not yet qualified for that designation. But Sasuke did not want to raise his expectations too high. Sakura was as good as dead to him — which made it all the worse. It was as if she were a yuurei: a vengeful, female ghost who haunted the living for sins committed against them.

Except that Sakura held nothing against Sasuke. She had even wished him success in his endeavors.

Sasuke had no idea whether it was the curse or himself that made him glare at Sakura like that. But he immediately regretted it. That meeting became his most recent nightmare. Oh, he must have been a sight, with the curse covering him, blood-red eyes, and a harsh glare.

But what was strange was, Sakura no longer showed a look of hurt. Instead, her face revealed something else: horror. Even disgust, and loathing. Those beautiful, emerald eyes, which could see right through him — they only spoke of one word.

Monster.

(( Sasuke looked at his hands.

Naruto stared at him from behind. He swore to himself that just a second ago, Sasuke's skin and hair were of different colors. He shook the thought away, and yelled at his teammate. "Sasuke, what the hell are you doing with these guys! Let's head back! C'mon!"

Sasuke did not answer. He did not even turn around.

Instead, he started laughing. He lifted his hands out slightly, and tilted his head back a little.

Sasuke laughed.

It scared Naruto. Sasuke _never_ laughed. And this laugh was abnormal. This was a laugh of someone corrupted by power.

This was not the Sasuke he always knew.

"Can't you hear me, damn it!" Naruto exclaimed. ))

Sasuke thought back to that event. And then he compared it to Sakura's last look at him.

The manical laughter seeped out again. He could laugh here, couldn't he? No one was around.

'Really, Sakura. You call _that_ a monster?' he asked inside, in a moment of dry humor. 'You should see me when the curse is at its second level. After all, I gave myself entirely to Orochimaru's curse to become stronger. I even tested it on Naruto. That idiot.'

A tingle ran down his spine. 'I don't even regret leaving the village. I'm working, so that he can kill my murderous brother. _Of course_ I'm a monster, you silly little girl. Among ninja, it takes one to kill one.'

Sasuke stopped laughing. It did not make him feel any better. It tired him excessively. It was too fake. Hell, it was so inappropriate that he wished to yell at himself for even trying. What a waste of energy laughing was. What a waste of energy any emotion was — except hate.

A compassionate, living yuurei: a contradiction through and through. What the hell was she?

Sasuke scrubbed the blood off his hands in the cold water. His fingers trembled slightly. He remembered back to his younger self, when his entire clan was slaughtered. He had cried his eyes out, the weak boy and sensitive boy that he was.

The creek was the only sound Sasuke heard. Nobody was around in this godforsaken place. He had the chance to cry. He could cry himself out, here and now, just like when he was younger. Nobody would know.

But he couldn't, even if he wanted to.

He had forgotten how.

* * *

Takuji lay in the hospital bed. That last attack from Linton broke a few of his ribs, but they were now healing. The doctors could mend bones easily. Yet they insisted that he stay put for about a week.

Takuji was bored. Not to mention, very depressed. He had thought that his Shi Shi Houkoudan would prove, once and for all, that he really could match up to a strong, full-blooded celestial like Linton, using only human powers.

He heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" he called out.

In stepped a pink-haired girl. She held a daisy in a thin vase. "Hello, Amano-kun," Sakura said.

"Haruno-san!" It was the first time for Takuji to have someone outside his family visited him in the hospital. "It's... good to see you!"

"How do you feel?" Sakura asked. "That fight was awesome. You had Linton scared there for quite a while."

"Thanks," Takuji coughed. "I'll have to get better, though."

* * *

Minoru's head thumped on his desk. An open letter was sprawled in front of him. It was the answer to yet another failed request.

'If this keeps going, we'll have no chance in the Rifts. Most of the elfin tribes will talk and trade with me, but I don't know whether they'd allow Sakura and Potamos in for lodging... Well, there are also dwarves and sprites around, but they have very few traveling supplies — they only stay put where they live.'

Minoru glanced at the clock. It was time for practice.

Minoru opened his closet of weaponry. A few large bows hung on the wall. Various arrows rested in boxes. But in the far corner lay a slim, angular briefcase. The elf crouched down, and slid it out of the closet.

Minoru carried the old box to his bed, and set it down. He wiped the dust off with a tissue paper. He then unclasped the locks, and lifted the cover.

A set of knives lay in the case. A few spaces were empty; their associated weapons had been lost years ago. Yet the remaining knives were still in fairly good condition. The elf smiled to himself as he pulled one out.

The edge of the blade glinted silver. Years and years ago, Minoru made sure that he had cleaned them before retiring them to the inner recesses of his closet.

(( "Minoru, just go! Take her and run!" ))

Minoru closed his eyes, as if doing so would erase the memories. Perhaps he should not have chosen this particular case of weapons. He could have bought a new set of knives, instead of taking an old friend's mementos. He had enough money.

Yet something told him that these had to be it. Nothing else felt more trustworthy in Minoru's hands. For quick, personal combat that the bow failed to give, these were perfect.

'I thought that I would never use these again,' Minoru thought. 'But I presume that fate says otherwise. Now that I feel them in my hands, it is well that I grow back into them once more.'

He glanced to his side. In one, quick movement, he flung the knife.

The blade made a dull thud as it stabbed into the wall. Minoru walked over, and examined the imbedded weapon.

'Right angle, with two centimeters depth. Not the worst aim.' He yanked the knife out. Its handle was warm.

'I might even learn some new methods from Sakura-san,' he thought to himself, reviewing his knife-fighting skills. 'After all... my old friend, you were the one who taught me how to use them in the first place.'

* * *

"Well, I have to go now," Sakura said to Takuji. She slowly got up from her chair. "I hope you'll be released from the hospital soon."

"Wait, Haruno-san," Takuji said. He fidgeted with the hem of the hospital bed-sheet. "What did you mean the other day, when you said... that I taught you something?"

Sakura thought back for a moment. "It will sound VERY corny," she said with a little snort.

"Try me," Takuji challenged. "I promise I won't laugh."

Sakura brushed away her pink hair. "Well — when I realized that you didn't know how to mold chakra, I kind of got a little too... uppity. That was a big mistake on my part, as a ninja. The experience reminded me not to let my guard down."

Sakura peeked behind her shoulder. "And speaking of letting one's guard down...

"YOU! Right behind that door!" the kunoichi yelled out, startling Takuji. "If you're going to eavesdrop, at least do it without being noticed, amateur!"

The door slid open. To Takuji's surprise, in stepped Angel Linton. He was in the same attire as the day before, only that his clothes were cleaner. His silver armbands with tiger-eyes shone with perfection.

Linton smirked. "I had no idea you had a girlfriend, Amano."

"She's not my girlfriend," Takuji said with flushed cheeks.

"That's good." The brown-haired warrior then turned to the pink-haired genin. "I advise you, human girl, to not associate with too many celestials. And you know what I mean."

"What _do_ you mean?" Sakura asked with a scowl.

"Stay away from Amano — he is an angel, even if he's only half. Humans like you will prove to be the demise of this city."

"Linton, that's too harsh, even for you!" Takuji fumed. "What do you have against her?"

"I have no quarrel with you, Amano," Linton continued. "And I have nothing personally against the girl. But Haruno — take my advice."

"Sure," Sakura said pertly. **'And then I'll tear it up and burn the pieces!'** "And call me 'Haruno-san'."

Linton had already grown bored with other people's sarcasm. "I'm trying to be civil with you, Haruno."

"Haruno-SAN."

"Okay, Haruno-san." Linton glanced to the side. "Never mind. I'm sorry to have intruded on your — date. You probably already have received orders from Angel Salvia, anyway... but I only want to warn you. Minerva is a haven for a wide variety of beings, but its security depends on the flow of all the realms. There are enough purists in each who cannot compromise on anything."

Sakura was confused. She also felt a little creeped out. How much did this angel know of her connections?

Linton turned to Takuji, and saluted him. "Keep up the good work. You're impressing us." He paused, and turned to Sakura. "You impressed us, too. And make sure that you keep your secrets quiet." He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

"Whose side is he on?" Sakura asked Takuji.

"Linton is an interesting fellow," the half-angel said. "He doesn't let certain theories get in the way of conversing with other people. He's a good guy, really. Don't let him get to you."

"Of course not," Sakura said coolly. **'I'll just use the memory of his high-and-almighty attitude for generating chakra, SHANNAROO!'**

Takuji gave a thankful smile.

Sakura breathed. "But is he really a friend of yours?" she asked. "Didn't he go a little too far in that fight with you?" **'What am I saying; it was OVERKILL, for crying out loud.'**

"I always tell him not go easy on me in combat." Takuji gave a tiny smirk. "And he actually complied this year. That means that I'm starting to match up to him."


	25. A Tour

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Lots of people have been bugging me about why I do not update as quickly as I used to, even though I am back from my trip. I have a reason why. We have two computers at home, and the one with the in-built modem blew a circuit. So for the meantime, I have to write stuff on the still-intact computer at home, and then transfer the stuff to a diskette and use my college account whenever I can (I'm a PK, you see — a professor's kid.) So I am still writing — I just can't go online as often, that's all. Until my parents buy a new computer, updating will be difficult.

But I have two new chapters.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 25: A Tour

* * *

Two months passed after the final match of the junior tournament. Sakura had been in this dimension for nearly four months. She was excelling in kendō and iaidō under Scarlett's instruction. Potamos improved as well — she nailed the tree-climbing exercise, and she passed another test in the Ninja Mansion. Currently, Potamos was working to perfect her Hidden Mist spell.

Sakura gracefully moved Tennyo as she did her morning practice. Her usual red dress, bike shorts and ninja gear were on, even though she was practicing kendō. 'Scarlett-sensei told me that I'll have an escort. I wonder who it will be...'

Today was Sakura's visit to the Ninja Mansion. The wrangling over it was long. Scarlett had to work a lot to arrange this. Some of the Mansion's teachers were distrustful of Sakura because of her appearance in the junior tournament. In this dimension, a competent ninja never entered tournaments. After all, they were trained as spies and assassins — not hormone-crazed sportsmen who showed off their fighting skills.

Potamos could enter the junior tournament, as she was not a full-fledged ninja. All of her attacks were based in her demonic powers, anyway. But Haruno Sakura was a different matter: she was a human who came out of nowhere, trained in a variety of ninja skills and tactics. To top it off, Sakura actually showed them to practically everyone in Minerva.

So much for the secrecy of the Shinobi Arts.

Another thing the ninja did not trust about Sakura was simple: they did not know _where_ she had acquired her abilities. The Ninja Mansion was the only known place where the Shinobi Arts were studied. Even the ninja on earth were extinct.

Ninja were a dying breed in this dimension. Their style of martial arts was practical... up to a certain point. The difficulty with this fighting style was that people looked down upon it as dishonorable. Sure, a competent ninja could put up a fight against one celestial. But if it was one ninja again a group of very enraged celestials, he had little chance of surviving.

Sakura's performance in the junior tournament brought both a renewed fear and respect for ninja. Thus, the Mansion fell under more distrust. The last thing that the shinobi wanted was for their art to die out, by having their government funds pulled — or even worse, killed off completely.

Sakura's world was a stark contrast, in that ninja were feared and respected. They were hired for missions, and kept alive in their hidden villages. They were technically neutral in politics, but they were there behind the scenes. Even if they led short lives, their numbers were large enough to survive and have families, carrying on the tradition. Except for rare supernatural crises involving youkai-demons, there was nothing in that world which could possibly wipe them out.

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura turned around to see Minoru at the gate. The kunoichi slipped Tennyo back into its scabbard. "Minoru-san! I'm sorry, but today I have —"

"— to go to the Ninja Mansion?" the elf finished for her. "Scarlett... I mean, Angel Salvia-sama assigned me as your escort."

"YOU'RE my escort?" **'OH YEAH!'** "But what if you're attacked? Ninja are fast!"

Minoru waved it off. "Don't worry, I have a few tricks up my sleeve if things get too rowdy. Come, we should go soon."

"Just wait, I need to put Tennyo away."

Minoru halted Sakura. "Angel Salvia said that she wanted you to bring Tennyo as well."

The kunoichi blushed with embarrassment. "Oh, yeah, she did say something about that yesterday." Sakura glanced behind Minoru, and found nobody there. "Potamos still isn't here, though. She wants to come along."

A sigh of frustration nearly escaped Minoru. 'I knew it,' he thought to himself. 'The lass clings to Sakura-san like a parasite. Oh well, it was because of Potamos that Sakura-san has this chance...'

Sakura strapped Tennyo firmly around her. **'Anybody who tries to steal the sword shall DIE by the sword!'

* * *

**

Sakura's eyes widened as the wooden gates creaked open. The Ninja Mansion looked just like an old, Japanese yashiki. It was probably twice the size of the Fuuma mansion. The training grounds covered even more property.

"Welcome, Haruno-san!" The principal was a bald, slightly hefty man with the face of a fun-loving god. He did not have the vest, head-protector, or shuriken holster that was prevalent in Sakura's world, but had traditional ninja clothing, like what Kakashi wore.

In contrast to the other teachers, he wore no facemask. This principal was much more trusting and easy-going than his subordinates.

Sakura bowed to the principal, which he returned. "Thank you for accepting me as your guest," Sakura politely said. "This is Minoru-san. He's my... escort."

"Elf of the Vines!" the principal greeted. "It is a great honor to have you as our guest. And Potamos, good morning!"

"Yo, Principal!" Potamos cheerily said.

A nearby guard walked behind the chattering principal, holding two pieces of paper.

"Haruno-san, Elf of the Vines, this is just a piece of government regulation," the guard explained. "We don't aim to kill guests. Yet it is a legal precaution we must take."

Minoru frowned. He was expecting something as dangerous as this. Scarlett had already explained the situation to him before. There had also been heart-warning phrases like -I would turn back if I were you-, or simply -Go away!-, painted on road-signs leading to the yashiki.

Sakura and Minoru read the contract.

- I hereby declare that I have read all the road-signs and warnings pertaining to this yashiki, and will not hold it responsible for any poisoning, illness, injury, or death that may occur... -

Sakura did not hesitate to sign the form. Taking the offered pen and inkpad, she used a nearby stone as a desk.

"Um, Sakura-san... You seem a little _too_ excited," Minoru said.

Sakura shrugged. "Oh, I've signed something like this before. Right before I went into the Forest of Death." She wrote her name down on the contract, and stamped her fingerprint under it.

"Lovely name for a forest," the elf drawled. He pulled out his hanko, and stamped it on the paper. 'Is her world only concerned about death?'

* * *

The principal gave them a tour of the mostly-empty grounds. It was the day off for the students. There were a few hanging out at the Mansion to practice or study, but they tended to be the brightest and most diligent students. Potamos came along for the tour — not only because she wanted to tag along with her beloved Sacchan, but also that she hoped for a sneak-peek in the men's quarters.

As the principal explained the use of the more interesting and important rooms, Sakura was astounded with the variety of classes the Ninja Mansion gave. The shinobi of this dimension worked a lot to keep their art going, even though their numbers were few. Sakura could not possibly attend them, considering that she had sword-lessons and reading to do. But she still enjoyed herself with the visit.

The principal led the three to a separate building. An air of mystery and death surrounded the place. Its size was about a fourth of the main house. A large sign on the door said:

- DANGER! Do not come in unless you are an official ninja or are testing to be one. Severe injury or death will most probably occur if you enter. We warned you. -

"This is where we test our students for their graduation," the master proudly said. He pulled open the doors to the building. It was a room completely devoid of light. "It may seem clean at first glance. But there's plenty of stuff in there. Don't step in — just look."

Sakura's eyes trailed into the empty hallway. There was a slight stench coming out. It was of rust, and... dry blood?

Sakura pulled out a handkerchief. "May I test it?" she asked. The principal nodded.

"What'dya you mean, Sacchan?" Potamos asked.

Sakura threw her handkerchief into the hall. It wafted in the air innocently.

An array of at least ten different weapons shot out from the darkness at the handkerchief. They shredded the poor cloth to shreds within seconds.

Sakura whistled. Minoru's forehead wrinkled in disgust. Potamos' jaw dropped.

"The very epitome of the Shinobi Arts!" the principal said with insane enthusiasm. "It's so fun... I take a walk in it whenever I get bored."

"I have to go through THAT for my graduation exam?" Potamos wailed.

"Don't worry, Potamos," the principal laughed. "We won't let you in until we're pretty sure you're capable of it."

Sakura grimaced. **'PRETTY sure! You had better train her, Principal!'**

Minoru glanced to his upper-left corner. 'Blood-lust.' He touched Sakura's hand to get her attention. "Sakura-san," he whispered. "Keep your guard on at all times."

Sakura gave a tiny nod. She then directed her attention back to the principal, ever playing the perfect guest like a kunoichi should.

* * *

"Normally, I'm not allowed in this wing. But this is a special occasion." The principal led them into another side-house.

Sakura looked at the room. The sliding-door paintings were gilded with gold, covered with images of flowers and birds. The group had already seen the principal's office, so this probably was...

"The kunoichi quarters?" Sakura guessed.

"Correct!" The principle slid open a door. At the other end of the expansive layout, five ladies sat in beautiful kimonos. An exquisite lunch on a table was laid out in front of them.

"Irasshaimase!" the five women called out.

"Wata-P! Mina-chan!" Potamos called out to the two youngest-looking girls. They waved back. The water-demon turned to the blond elf. "Minoru-chan, after you!" She already knew that the elf was male, but it did not stop her from putting the childish suffix at the end of his name.

"I wish that you would not address me so, but thank you." Minoru left his slippers on the hallway floor, and planted one foot onto the tatami mat. Potamos grinned evilly.

"WAIT!" Sakura yelled out. What happened next, she had partially expected — but she could not have foreseen the elf's reaction to them.

Minoru stepped quickly to the side, evading a shower of ten spears. He landed onto the next cross-section of the straw matting — and again jumped away, before a manhole appeared underneath his feet. He went to the next mat, out of which a bed of spikes shot out. No place left to go, he slammed his back against the wall. He was nervously trying to keep his balance so that he would not fall on the torture bed.

**'THAT WAS SO AWESOME!'** Inner Sakura cheered.

Finally, the wall Minoru was leaning on gave way. It was one of those hidden ninja doors. A curse escaped his lips before he fell into the darkness.

"Minoru-san!" Sakura exclaimed. A loud thud sounded out.

The elf's blond head popped out through the door. His long, wavy hair was slightly disheveled. A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he turned to the five women. "That was a superb collection of traps, ladies. You caught me on the last one."

Four of the kunoichi giggled in response. One of them pulled a cord, and all of the traps fell back into their original settings. Minoru walked onto the now-safe tatami. 'Damn, I really am getting rusty,' his inner thoughts complained.

Sakura was very irritated, for a variety of reasons. "Minoru-san... I had no idea you trained as a shinobi."

"In all truth, I haven't," the elf answered. "Just some reflexes."

"Would you please join us for lunch?" one of the five asked. When Sakura looked at the lady more closely, she recognized her.

"Scarlett-sensei?" Sakura asked. It was no illusion. "What are you doing here?"

The redhead smiled. "I could not let my student go into the Ninja Mansion alone, now could I?"

"Food, food, food!" Potamos sang.

* * *

A fully attired ninja hung in the trees, as he and his comrade watched the scene below.

"Damn," he whispered to his friend. "Angel Salvia is there, as well as an elf. And the headmaster is too empty-headed and compromising."

"Maybe Haruno Sakura isn't that bad," the other said, almost in a pleading manner. "Maybe we're being overly suspicious."

The first sighed. "As students on this academy, we cannot allow others to show off ninja tactics to the ignorant masses. The teachers are too scared to act up, or don't even care. But screw them."

"Haruno Sakura is under stiff protection right now," his companion mumbled.

"There's got to be an opening somewhere," the first hissed. His eyes fell on the wonderful lunch the subjects were eating. His stomach growled softly. "Maybe we should go have lunch, too. We'll need our full strength later."

* * *

Scarlett walked out onto the ninja training ground. She was in her Angel Salvia uniform. Potamos, Minoru, and Sakura watched from a distance with the principal.

With a surge of aura, the red-haired woman flashed out her sword. "Watch carefully," she called out to Sakura. She then turned to a group of five youths with shuriken and kunai at their hands.

"Salvia-sama, are you _sure_ about this?" one of the boys asked hesitantly.

"Perfectly. Now throw," Scarlett ordered.

The five threw their weapons simultaneously. Sakura watched in amazement as her teacher flicked them all away, using an effortless and calm motion with her blade. The various weapons clattered to her feet.

"Let me guess," Sakura muttered. "I have to learn how to do THAT."

"It will take practice," Scarlett said. "But you will. You CAN. Potamos... you should learn as well," she said with hesitation.

"But it's vacation for me!" Potamos wailed.

A grumpy looked passed Scarlett's face.

Minoru elbowed Potamos. "It's perfect for killing your boredom," he said. He swung his fists outward, and a knife flicked out from each hand. "It's really nothing that bad, once you get the hang of it."

Copying Minoru, Sakura started to pull out her kunai.

"Sakura," Scarlett called out. "I want you to practice with Tennyo. For now, you will defend yourself from knives. We'll do shuriken later in the afternoon. As for darts and needles — or senbon, as you call them — don't worry. We'll deal with those later."

Sakura gulped. Even at home, she had a difficult time deflecting projectile weapons with her kunai. How could she do it with a sword?

* * *

As the day's shadow inched by, Scarlett taught the pink-haired girl how to move her katana. Minoru was assigned to help Potamos. The problem was, Potamos kept on dodging the training-kunai he threw. They were blunted and less dangerous than normal weapons, but they still could give cuts and scratches. For eye protection, Sakura and Potamos wore goggles.

"I can't hold still!" the water-demon complained. "It's just a reflex I have. Ninja are SUPPOSED to dodge!"

"Yes, I understand!" Minoru exclaimed. "But you could not possibly dodge ALL the time. Eventually, you will wear out from exhaustion. Learning this skill will preserve your physical energy. And there are some situations where blocking is your only choice."

"Like what?" the water-demon challenged.

"For example: what if you can't move?" the blond elf retorted.

"I always can move!" Potamos argued, clearly insulted.

The purple-haired demon then noticed something. She could not lift her feet from the ground. She looked down, and saw that her ankles were held tightly by vines. The plants had sprouted from the ground without her notice.

"Where did these come from!" Potamos demanded in a high voice.

"Desperate cases call for desperate measures." Minoru could not help but toss in a smirk. He grabbed more training-kunai out of the box, and turned to the demon. "Now, don't move your body except for your arms," the blond elf instructed. He lifted up a kunai to the side of his head, as if it were a dart. "You have to watch, and then force the weapon out of its course."

Potamos saw the flick of Minoru's wrist. Still true to her instinct, she ducked the kunai by swinging her head and shoulders back. It was amazing that she kept her balance with her feet tied down by vines.

The elf frowned. He focused: the vines around Potamos crawled up, now locking around her waist.

"Heeey!" Potamos wailed. At least she did not have to worry about falling over, because the vines now were supporting her. But the tendrils felt as strong as tree root to the water-demon.

"If you keep evading the weapons instead of blocking them," Minoru warned, "my vines shall go higher and higher until you cannot move at all — except for your arms, of course. I am the trainer, you the trainee. DO AS I SAY."

Sakura glanced at Minoru and Potamos from afar. She was slightly worried that one of them might lose their temper. "Scarlett-sensei, are you sure those two should be paired— yikes!" She moved Tennyo upward, and a kunai bounced off.

"Potamos will be fine," Scarlett said. The angel's hand was behind her back, signaling the students when to throw. "Meanwhile, I don't want you to let your guard down so easily." The redhead turned to one of the boys. "Could you fetch a box of practice-shuriken? I think we can start those now."

Sakura watched the boy dash off. Not only were these boys here to help Scarlett — it was review for their throwing skills.

"Sensei," Sakura said, panting, "how much more training do you think I need?"

"Well, it depends," Scarlett answered. She gave another signal.

Ten kunai went after Sakura. Seven of them were deflected, two missed, and one hit her shoulder. Plenty of cuts and bruises punctured the kunoichi's skin and clothing. This exercise was not life-threatening, yet their aim was good enough to annoy the now pin-cushioned girl.

"Isn't there some sort of jutsu that does the job for me?" Sakura growled. "You know, like a shield?"

Scarlett raised her eyebrow. "A large ki blast could do it, but it would have to be quite large. Spells that create magic shields are high-level. You're not there yet."

"Of course," Sakura said with a groan. **'Are you trying to kill me, Lady?'**

The ninja-student arrived with the requested weapons. "Salvia-sama, here they are!" he said, dropping the box on the ground.

"Thank you," Scarlett said. "Now get ready." The students reached into the box and pulled out the shuriken.

Sakura looked at the weapons from afar. It was strange, she thought, that the sunlight reflected off of them in different ways. These all were supposed to be the same age and type, right?

And a few seemed to have a purple glint.

A quiet gasp escaped her mouth.

Sakura jumped away with chakra in her legs, avoiding the hail of shuriken. A few stabbed into a bonsai tree. The others whizzed by, before they fell onto the grass within distance.

Scarlett was confused at her student's hasty retreat. She then took one glance at the bonsai.

The love-angel began to emit a red glow, much to everyone's horror. "What is the _meaning_ of this!" Scarlett demanded in a loud voice. She looked ready to administer divine judgment.

"What — what — _what is going on here_?" Potamos shrieked, glued to her spot.

Minoru sighed. "The're already gone, Salvia-sama," he said. He put away his dagger. "They didn't want to confront us with a real battle." The elf snapped his fingers, and his vines loosened from Potamos.

Scarlett and Sakura relaxed from their fighting stances, and put away their weapons.

The principal had just come, reacting to Scarlett's yell. He appeared in front of the love-angel in a blur. "Salvia-sama! What is it!" His eyes locked onto the bonsai tree. "Oh, my..."

"Can someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" Potamos repeated. She wiggled herself free from the loose entanglement.

"Look at the tree, Potamos," the principal instructed.

The water-demon looked at the bonsai. A few shuriken were imbedded in its trunk. One of them had an area of purple bark surrounding it.

The water-demon stared, and realized what it was.

"Poison?" Potamos exclaimed, the annoyance evident in her voice. "I didn't know that we had to work with POISONED weapons!"

"You were not supposed to." The principal's usual, jolly face was now dead-serious. "Who brought in this box of shuriken?"

"I...I did," a voice quavered.

The principal turned his head towards the student who delivered the weapons. "Atsushi-kun," he asked calmly, "Where did you get those shuriken?"

"I got them from the supply room. I asked the secretary for a normal, clean box," the frightened student explained. Atsushi shivered at the piercing glares from Scarlett and Potamos. "I swear, I had no idea they were poisoned! Please believe me!" he pleaded.

"Atsushi-kun," the principal said, "You are in no trouble, but we will need you for further investigation. I will first escort you and the others to the hospital-shrine, to get your hands examined and cleaned. Then we'll talk." He turned his head back to Sakura and Scarlett. He heaved a deep sigh. "I believe that today's visit is over. I apologize for this highly embarrassing incident."

"Apologies accepted. We will come along with you to the hospital-shrine." The red-haired angel held a serene face, although her innards were bulging with fury — both at the students, and herself. 'How could such a simple assassination plot get through so easily! Why didn't these pip-squeaks see that those vile objects were tampered with — not to mention, that they were real? And it was careless on my part for trusting them. Thank god that Sakura noticed just in time. Even Minoru —'

Sakura gripped Tennyo's hilt nervously. Fear stuck in her throat. Then, her fear slowly grew into anger. **'They're after me, ARE THEY?'**

Minoru's face was downcast. "Salvia-sama..."

"It's all right, Minoru." Scarlett combed her fingers through her red hair. Then she glanced to her student.

Sakura's eyes were greener and brighter than ever.

'Well, at least she's taking it well,' the angel-warrior commented inside. 'She's starting to know what's in store for her.'

* * *

Notes:

"hanko" - an official stamp or seal of an individual. Even nowadays in Japan, a hanko is used like a signature for official documents and works of art. If in the case you don't have one, then you use your fingerprint instead of a hanko. So NEVER take someone else's hanko; that's a crime equivalent to forgery or identity theft!

"Irasshaimase" - translated as 'Welcome'. It is used solely for guests. It is even used to customers if they are entering your grocery store.


	26. Supplies

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 26: Supplies and Surprise

* * *

"I wasn't scratched by them!" Sakura complained. She warily eyed the needle going towards her shoulder.

"We don't know that for sure," the nurse said. "You have cuts everywhere. Now hold out your arm."

"I hate needles," Sakura grumbled. The nurse injected a small amount of antidote in Sakura. True, she probably had not been poisoned by the shuriken, but it was a safety precaution.

The nurse pulled out the needle, and held some cotton to the tiny wound. "I heard from Angel Salvia that you were the first to notice the toxin," the nurse complimented. "Good thing you did. That stuff was black-market material, that was."

"What?" Sakura asked.

"The poison is unique, in that it does not give the victim pain — yet within days, they would mysteriously die in their sleep. That's why I'm giving you antidote, as well as the boys who touched the weapons."

Sakura was shocked. She first thought that the poison was some sort of malicious prank. Who would hate her so much that they wanted her dead? The Ninja Mansion? Maybe. But perhaps it was someone else — someone else stealthy enough to get past it.

The nurse smiled. "You must be a brave girl to handle this well."

"I'm not brave," Sakura mumbled. "I'm only sick and tired of being frightened without doing something about it." A hint of bitterness was in her voice.

"That's already something," the nurse said as she took out a band aid.

* * *

Sakura took a little catnap on her desk. It was a nice break from kendō- and iaidō-practice. She also needed to clear out her mind before she went to her scroll-reading.

For weeks on end, Sakura read the scrolls, looked up new kanji, wrote notes, re-read the scrolls, and re-read the notes to check for accuracy. If she could do it, she would make entire copies of the scrolls as well. She did not know why, but she had some inkling that this information was vital for her being.

She had to work fast; the extended due-date for these library scrolls was in a month. If Sakura increased her work-load a little bit more, she would have all the information about hand-seals at her fingertips. She did not need to copy every word — just every important word.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Sakura said.

The door creaked open, with Umi peeking into the room. "Sakura-oneechan? We need help with our math homework..."

'We?' Sakura thought. Although there were many kids in the house, Umi was the only child who came to Sakura for help in homework.

Umi and two other girls stepped in. One was a short blonde with sparkling blue eyes. The other had pitch-black hair in a long braid. Both looked up to Sakura with hesitancy, and a little awe. Kids their age were not allowed to see the tournament, but there were plenty of stories churning in the class rumor-mill. A few, naturally, revolved around Umi's adopted sister.

"These are my best friends, Hikari and Yami," Umi introduced.

Sakura gave them a gentle smile. "It's good to meet you, Hikari-chan, Yami-chan." She felt a warm sadness as she looked at Umi's friends. With a little change of dress colors, it would have been easy to believe that they were female versions of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Math homework, huh?" Sakura asked. Math had been her favorite subject in school before the Ninja Academy drilled her more into fighting rather than academics. "Did you at least try the problems before?"

"Of course I did!" Umi said, a little insulted. She pointed at her friends. "I told them, too, that you wouldn't help unless we went through the ENTIRE assignment first."

"Sakura-oneechan, did you really sell your soul to get magical powers?" Hikari burst out. Yami was silent, but her black eyes were inquiring the same thing.

"Hikari-chan!" Umi scolded her friend.

Sakura turned to blue-haired sprite. "Umi-chan. Did you say a few things at school that were a little... exaggerated about me?"

Umi blushed. "I only said that you're a human, and that you're really cool with the sword. But the bullies in class are saying bad things about you, and I hate it!"

"WE don't believe them," Hikari said in a highly unconvincing manner. "Mama always says that we should never give in to rumors!"

'I am not going to laugh,' Sakura thought. 'I will not baby them with stories. I'll just explain to them a few things **LIKE THAT I AM AN OKAY-FIGHTING HUMAN!** and nudge them towards their homework.'

* * *

Sakura obtained a collection of ninja weapons from the Ninja Mansion, withScarlett's assistance. Of course, Scarlett had them checked for poison and curses before she passed them to her student.

The set had no exploding items, to Sakura's disappointment. Yet when it came to weapons, it was more than enough: shuriken, kunai, senbon (even though Sakura had no idea how to throw them), and prickly maki-bishi were all in.

Potamos and Sakura trained together in the forest for an hour each day. Minoru came along to collect herbs, as well as to keep an eye out for them. He had strict orders from Scarlett to watch over the pink-haired genin whenever possible.

"C'mon, Sacchan!" Potamos yelled out. She had two kunai drawn. "It's time to practice. Practice makes perfect! Now throw those shuriken STRAIGHT at my head."

"I will not!" Sakura exclaimed. "We don't even have the goggles! I'll throw at other parts of your body, but I am not going to jump some levels and risk your eye being put out."

The water-demon puffed out her cheeks like a spoiled child.

Sakura began to spin her kunai, with her finger sticking through the ringed end. "Well, if you're that bored — I guess we could try flicking away weapons while running. Right, Minoru-san?"

Minoru plucked an herb from the forest ground. "Don't kill each other, children," the elf called out.

Sakura frowned, and then turned back to the water-demon. "Potamos, you can move anywhere you want. You can even throw your own weapons, or grab any that I drop on the ground. Let's just make sure to stay within in a small area."

"Okay!" Potamos chimed. "I'm defending! You're offending!"

'That doesn't sound right,' Sakura noted. Her kunai stopped whirling, and she grasped its hilt. 'Oh, well.'

Potamos jumped away, barely missing the kunai.

Sakura was in the air. "Dodge if you need to, but you should push it away! Try again!" she ordered. She threw another. The water-demon, in turn, threw a kunai toward it, and the two weapons bounced off each other.

Sakura ran up the tree, and disappeared.

Three of Sakura's shuriken came out of the foliage above.

Potamos concentrated. In one, mighty swing, she deflected all of them with a kunai.

'Hey, she really is getting better,' Sakura thought from the top of the trees. 'Maybe I should push the standards a little higher. Bunshin no Jutsu!' Sakura's hands moved quickly, and three clones appeared. They went down the tree quietly, not bringing any shakes to the leaves — mostly because they were not real.

Sakura was waiting for Potamos to get off-guard. That was when she felt something.

A gentle breeze wafted above the kunoichi. She noticed a flowery perfume in the wind. Not only that, but there seemed to be a slight hint of a melody in the air.

The girl suddenly forgot that she was supposed to be concentrating on Potamos. She was curious, and went higher into canopy.

She climbed until she grasped the highest branch that could support her. She turned her head in one direction. Through an opening, a beautiful landscape of the forest was visible, with the city of Minerva cradled in the valley.

The wind grew slightly stronger. The humming grew louder. Sakura first thought the sounds were out of tune, but they fused together into a choir of voices. The kunoichi had never heard exotic chords like these in her life. She was mesmerized by the beauty and strength of the song.

A whisp of flower petals brushed her cheeks.

The kunoichi jerked out of her trance. Was there someone else within this forest, intending to hypnotize her? This situation could possibly be an illusion. After all, Sakura used petals for some of her genjutsu at home, just like Kakashi used leaves, and other ninja used feathers and whatnot.

Sakura put her hands together for the canceling-technique. 'Kai!' Yet the flowers were not repelled. In fact, they seemed to dance around her body. The breeze seemed to beckon her, whisper to her.

This was too occult for Sakura's tastes. Even if every part of her soul just wanted to sit there and enjoy the moment, this was something dangerous. With great mental effort, she carefully slid down through the branches.

The wind seemed to get stronger. Sakura growled. "What do you want?" The kunoichi struggled to get down. She met Potamos at the bottom.

"Sacchan! What's the big idea of leaving me to find your clones, and then not even attacking me?" the purple-haired girl wailed.

"I'm sorry, Potamos," the kunoichi apologized. She then turned to Minoru. He was not crouched down, picking herbs anymore. Neither was he in his normal garb — did he change clothing while she was gone?

Sakura stared. "Minoru-san, what is _that_?"

The elf was dressed in what looked like hunter's regalia. A quiver of arrows and a bow were slung over his back. A green mantle draped his shoulders.

He looked _hot_. Masculine hot.

"This is my battle-uniform, Sakura-san. I just transformed into it when you failed to come down. I was about to go up to look for you — but you seemed to have handled yourself." He looked at Sakura questioningly. "But more importantly, did you see anything unusual?"

Sakura was hesitant to give an outrageous explanation — plus, she could not help but look at the elf. **'Why doesn't he wear this more often?'** She had no idea that Minoru had a separate battle-uniform. It also did not fit his nature — he did not strike her as the fighting type.

Sakura turned away quickly, realizing she was treating Minoru like eye-candy. **'Which he is!'** "I felt a breeze," she mumbled. "And flower petals. It was weird, as if..."

Sakura's green eyes widened. Yousuke was a wind-demon. And Momoko was a love-angel.

"I'll be right back," Sakura quickly said, before running back up the tree.

A long silence ensued on the ground.

"Alright, I've concluded by a democratic vote of 1-0, that Sacchan has lost her marbles," Potamos stated. "We should go after her."

"For once, I agree with you," Minoru said. The elf willed a rope of vines to emerge out of his left sleeve. He pulled himself up onto a thick branch, and started to jump and climb. Meanwhile, the water-demon planted her feet on a nearby tree and ran up.

* * *

Sakura sat in a branch with her eyes closed. She put her hands together in a hand-seal, praying that the power would reach her.

Something disturbed her meditation.

"Sakura-san, the first time was dangerous," Minoru said in a low voice behind her. "But the second time without a guide is suicidal. At least ask for some help in case you fall."

Her face burned. How dare he insult her tree-climbing skills? "Where's Potamos?" she asked without facing Minoru. "You didn't leave her —"

"BOO!" Potamos exclaimed, right in Sakura's face. The pink-haired genin shrieked. The water-demon giggled as Sakura put her hand over her pounding heart.

"Don't _do_ that!" Sakura yelled. "If you sneak up on me, I want WARNING!"

Minoru snorted. "That would take away the whole point, Sakura-san."

Sakura was about to retort something, when she felt a gentle breeze lift up a few strands of her pink hair. It was the same wind as before, with the same pink petals.

Minoru's eyes turned hard. Potamos slowly backed away from Sakura, going to a different branch.

Sakura concentrated. If she fell, she trusted that Minoru would catch her. She fold her hands into an In, molding chakra.

'Do what you love and learn, so that you may understand it more.'

Sakura's eyes shot open. Was that a complete sentence from the wind?

"Saccha—" Minoru clamped a hand over Potamos' mouth. He gave her a do-not-interrupt-this-ceremony-look, and turned back to Sakura.

Sakura calmly thought about it. What she loved and learned, yet did not understand. It sounded like some sort of discipline. 'Math... physics... kendō and iaidō...'

It clicked in her mind. That was it. The Eureka moment.

Sakura made a sequence of three hand-seals. It looked simple enough, and she did it slowly. Yet what made it unusual was that it was never done before — not in this dimension, nor in the one she left four months ago.

The kunoichi's palms were sweating. If her calculations were wrong, something terrible could happen, even death. Yet the molding of the chakra felt right — and the equation seemed to work in her mind.

Sakura's fingers curled into the final In.

'This feeling...' the girl thought. 'It's so strong...'

Sakura pulled Tennyo out. She released the power built up in her body — and the blade started to glow.

The aura of the weapon swirled off an equal amount of blue and green. The kunoichi had difficulty believing it. She NEVER saw so much green aura come out of Tennyo before. "Wow..." She breathed. "I don't even feel like killing someone."

"SACCHAN!" Potamos exclaimed as she pulled down Minoru's hand. It took all of his might for the elf not to yell out in pain; the water-demon's fingers had suddenly turned ice-cold.

The wind stopped.

Now he could yell. Minoru gave a powerful elbow-hit on the side of Potamos' head. "Demon, you have no feeling for ceremony!" the elf exclaimed. "No feeling at all! Sakura-san didn't even get the other half!"

"OWIE! And what are you talking about? She already got something going! Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, as they say." Minoru elbowed her again, this time much harder.

Tennyo stopped glowing. Minoru was sure that Sakura's temper was going to flare up; that always was a side-effect of an Awakening.

Instead, Sakura put away her sword. Then her face lifted to reveal a smiling face. "It's okay, Minoru-san. I'll get the other half soon."

The elf was flabbergasted. Sakura had perfect control of her aura, even after getting THAT treatment from Nature.

"Sacchan! That was so awesome!" Potamos hugged Sakura. "I had no idea you were a wind-demon!"

"Potamos, you're squeezing too hard," Sakura croaked out.

"Oh, sorry!" Potamos loosened herself.

She then froze. She sensed another power in Sakura's body. It was as powerful like the demon energy she felt from Tennyo — but it was of a completely different. It was sapping Potamos of her demonic strength. 'It's as if... OH GODS!'

Potamos pushed away Sakura, as if she were a rotting corpse. "Sacchan — you have — but I just saw a minute ago —"

"Be quiet," Minoru ordered harshly.

Potamos jumped, a little frightened. She hugged the trunk of the tree. She glanced nervously between Sakura and Minoru.

"Sa...Sacchan..." Potamos sputtered. "I... I don't believe it."

"Potamos, _be quiet_," Minoru thundered.

It was as if Potamos forgot about him. Her expression of astonishment, mingled with fear, remained locked in Sakura's direction.

Sakura covered her face in her hands. Her secret was exposed to Potamos. 'I guess I put my hopes up too high.'

* * *

Notes:

"maki-bishi" - caltrop. A spiky, metal ball, which gives you the same pain as a sea-urchin. They can hurt an enemy, and help for getaways. (Kakashi used these in his first battle with Zabuza.)


	27. Blood Pacts

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

We got a new computer. Faithful readers, rejoice!

About my sequel: I am trying to figure out who is going to star in in it, besides Sakura. Of course, Sakura will be ONE of the main characters, but I plan to make her more mysterious. I think someone else should be in spotlight, too. I need suggestions!

I looked at Maya Amano-san's reviews, and I was so touched. So many questions! Well, all of them will eventually be answered as the story progresses. I know, right now it's kind of going slow...

I also took note of Lady Light-san's review, and now that I think about it, I agree with her. That last line in the previous chapter did not make sense. So I worked extra-hard on this chapter to make it realistic. (Even though this fic is already outrageous, I still want psychological realism going. Thank you, Lady Light-san, for you helpful comments. They really make me think more over how I can make the story better.)

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 27: Blood-pacts

* * *

(( (Two months ago)

"It's good that you have control over your different auras," Scarlett said. "So far, nobody has noticed the uniqueness of your blood, because it is undetectable. Remember the doctors who gave you a genetic test? They're keeping it confidential, for your safety."

"I don't understand why it's forbidden for a demon and angel to have a child," Sakura stated. "I mean... I survived, right? Angels and demons are both classified as celestials anyway. And it's not as if I'm a real threat to anyone."

"That's the thing. Sakura." Scarlett gave a sigh. "You see, there is a prophecy saying that if a child is born from an angel and a demon — death, suffering, and rebirth shall come to all the realms."

Scarlett read the horrified look on Sakura's face. "Take it easy, Sakura. We cannot jump to conclusions about your destiny just yet. Myths have their own truths, if you look at them in sociological terms."

"…Sociological?"

"Think about it, Sakura," Scarlett nudged on. "Demons and angels have been warring for centuries in this dimension. Both races are very proud and patriotic. Minerva is one of the few points in this universe where demons and angels can live together in civility. The majority of celestials stay in their own realms, never setting foot in the other — never seeing the other types except through pictures and their own imaginations."

"What about Momoko and Yousuke, though?" Sakura insisted. "They seem to have it all right! It's because of THEM that there's a truce between angels and demons."

"Because of them, yes," Scarlett answered. "But also at the cost of millions of lives on both sides. There is peace — yet bitter feelings die hard." The red-haired angel meditated on a nearby painting. "For your safety, as well as the safety of others, keep your blood quiet. For now. But continue to develop your chakra in secret. Oh, and Minoru already knows."

"Minoru-san knows?"

"Yes. He will help you in getting to the energy springs needed to go back home. Still, do not hand this information about your ancestry out to anyone — just because Minoru and the doctors are fine with it does not mean the rest of the population is." Scarlett sighed. "Your case is a touchy issue. It was fortunate that you learned how to control your aura perfectly in the Shinobi World — because of that, you were able to reach into your celestial aura during the junior tournament, without actually revealing its true nature."

She looked seriously into Sakura's green eyes. "I believe you are destined for many great things, Sakura. But not here. Not in this dimension. So for now, keep things secret. Do you understand?"

The pink-haired kunoichi gulped. She could feel the sweat forming on her brow. ))

* * *

Sakura felt terrible. 'I broke my promise to Scarlett-sensei. I had no idea that Potamos would realize it on her own.'

"Sacchan, that is so COOL!" Potamos exclaimed. "I thought that this was impossible!" She started pocking Sakura's arm, as if she were some sideshow freak.

Sakura blinked. "You... you don't hate me?"

The water-demon rolled her eyes. "Why should I?"

Sakura thought of possible answers. 'I am a medical miracle.' No; she wouldn't get it. 'Um, well, lots of people would not like the thought of angels and demons copulating.' Yeesh, absolutely not. "Oh, a prophecy says that my existence is supposed to bring death and destruction to this universe as we know it!'

"Well... um..." Sakura had no idea what explanation to give. She was confused — yet again — with Potamos' unusual reaction. 'She must not know of the prophecy — or if she does, she doesn't believe in it. Maybe that prophecy is just myth.'

"Damnation!" Minoru hissed. He was debating with himself, just how to handle the water-demon. 'What to do, what to do... I never expected that Sakura would get a full awakening, much less go ahead and let the devil-child witness it! This means that she probably is _required_ to stick with us, even to the springs...'

"Alright," Minoru said, resolve in his voice. "I suspect that this is the only way." 'Without getting killed by Sakura-san,' he mentally added. The elf pulled up his left sleeve, revealing a golden wristband with emeralds. Whispering some words, he slid his right-hand index finger over it.

The bracelet glowed. The elf looked intently in the water-demon's yellow, cat-like eyes. "Potamos, you want to keep Sakura-san safe, right?"

"Of course!" the water-demon exclaimed.

"Then do a blood-pact on the secret. My magic will act as a witness."

* * *

Sasuke pricked his finger with the tip of a kunai. He saw the red dot seep out, and he spread the liquid on his fingertips in a series of hand-seals.

'Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Sheep... Kuchiyose no Jutsu!'

A loud 'POOF' sounded out. Sasuke looked at the result.

A snake — with the thickness of a pencil — wiggled on the ground.

Orochimaru laughed. "Not bad for your first try, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke growled. The snake disappeared in a poof of smoke. Obviously, it was not wanted here. Sasuke began to mold chakra again.

Orochimaru walked away. "I'll leave you to work it out. You have the most... uncanny ability to develop things on your own." He gave a mocking grin to Sasuke before he walked off. Sasuke glared at him from behind.

'Sick freak,' Sasuke thought. 'I'm not even sure about your gender, with your experiments and the way you talk!'

Sasuke hated doing the calling spell. Not only because it was hard, but that it was so obvious that his rival back in Konoha could do it perfectly. A toad that was at least a hundred meters in height was proof enough.

Sasuke grit his teeth. 'And within one month, too! That... Naruto! Well, two can play at that game.'

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!" Sasuke yelled out for the fifth time.

There was another _poof._

A foot-long snake appeared at his feet. It looked dead.

Sasuke stared at it. What good would it do to yell at a creature? Instead, he picked it up to check for vitality signs.

"HEY!" the snake exclaimed. In surprise, Sasuke dropped it.

"Jeez, I didn't ask to be dropped. Neither did I ask to be woken up from my nap, and get picked up like a common rock." The snake lifted its head, and flicked its tongue. "Stupid human."

"Aren't I supposed to be your master?" Sasuke coldly asked. It was more of demand than a question. Still, he had to be careful when talking to them.

"Yeah, yeah, the contract," the snake complained. "At least you seem more reasonable than the other two. A little puny — but reasonable."

A nerve popped out of Sasuke's head. He desperately wanted to throw an insult at this creature — but Orochimaru told him that this species was very difficult to control when insulted. Besides, was he going to sink so low as to argue with this little reptile?

"I have no time to chat. I'm just practicing this calling jutsu." Sasuke paused. "Wait a second... other two?"

"You're one of the three humans alive that can call snakes," the little one explained. "Didn't you see the scroll? Before you, it was... Anko, and before that was Orochimaru. He dumped her, but her name is still in the contract."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. 'I had my suspicions at first, but her handwriting rivaled that of a doctor. So it really was that creepy woman who proctored the Chuunin Exams... That means that she was once Orochimaru's student...'

He suddenly found the snake's tiny head next to his ear. It was fast. "Something else is on your mind, isn't there?" it asked in a whisper. "You'll never get Manda-sama at this rate. Not that he would obey you, even if you _could_ call him..."

The raven-haired boy scowled. Animals.

"Look, kid, you've got some potential," the snake continued. "I can even help you a bit, if you want."

Sasuke remained silent.

The snake sighed, although it was more like a hiss.

"Neither you nor Orochimaru have any idea what you will be going through in the next couple of years." He curled around Sasuke's arm, and gave it a squeeze. "If you need any help, just call."

It disappeared in cloud of smoke.

Sasuke rubbed his arm where the reptile had just been. 'I'd better try some other snake — preferably a bigger one, and one that doesn't talk as much.' His hands performed the order. 'Kuchiyose no Jutsu!'

* * *

Indignation and fright rose in Sakura. What was Minoru thinking, asking for a blood-pact? The kunoichi jumped from her branch, landing in front of Potamos. She faced off against the elf, guarding her purple-haired companion.

Minoru and Potamos stared at Sakura — the former in front of her, the latter behind.

"Minoru-san, I don't like how you're treating Potamos," Sakura stated. "She doesn't need to make a blood-pact!"

The water-demon wanted to cry — not from sadness or fear, but from joy. _Nobody_ stood up for her like that. "See!" she insisted. "Sakura trusts me to keep secrets."

The elf looked at Sakura. He was both touched and saddened at her naiveté, her trust in a demon. He then looked straight at Potamos, who was making faces at him behind Sakura's shoulder.

"From what I've heard from the others of the Ninja Mansion, you blabber out every item of scandal the instant it reaches your ears," he said, ignoring her childish behavior. "You are one of the worst secret-keepers of the academy — quite possibly the entire city."

Potamos glared at him. "Na-ah! I never told anyone that my homeroom teacher is having affairs with three different people!"

A long silence ensued.

Potamos winced. She then bit her lip, and sighed. The water-demon took out a kunai, made a shallow cut on her palm, and stuck the wound in front of Minoru's face. "Remember, I'm doing this for Sacchan's sake — NOT because of you."

"Well, at least you are cooperative," the elf said as he took the offered hand. The aura from his wristband poured into Potamos' wound.

"Is that safe?" Sakura asked with worry.

"Perfectly. Once it is made, she will not say anything about the selected information — whether she is carelessly gossiping, or under heavy torture." Minoru took care to emphasize the last two words. "The piece of knowledge will never escape her tongue, until I release it. Now, Potamos, repeat after me..."

* * *

Momoko and Yousuke lay in bed together. The pink-haired angel sighed as her nose touched the side of his cheek.

"Darling," Momoko said, "Do you ever have the feeling that we should just let Sakura stay here? If she wants to..."

"If she wants to, yes, Momo-P," the half-demon murmured. "But we have to let her decide. We don't even have to worry about her accidently using magic — as Scarlett said, her aura control is impeccable. And Minoru made sure that Potamos' mouth was sealed; thank god. Hopefully, we'll open the wormhole to find the Shinobi world still in one piece. And Sakura will be strong enough to help it."

Yousuke began to caress his wife's beautiful legs. She shivered, then resumed the conversation.

"I understand," Momoko insisted. "I do hope that the Shinobi world is handling itself — once I saw that she was still alive, I did not want her to die." She nestled in Yousuke's arms. "You notice... how Sakura has become part of our family. She had a tough time at first — she was not used to handling so many kids. But now she takes care of them, especially Umi. It's not blood that ties her with us. It's her soul."

"Yes," Yousuke said, continuing to stroke her. "I love her as much as you do. She's different from what I imagined her to be — but I like her all the same. Therefore, we should give her what knowledge she needs, and then let her decide what to do with it. She's been extremely reasonable for all these months."

"I know that, but— " Momoko gave muffled exclamation, as she found her husband on top of her. His hazel eyes gazed deeply into her blue ones. He planted a tender kiss on her lips, and made his way down.

"Let's not worry about that now, I just want you to relax..." Yousuke started to lick his wife's neck, and she moaned in pleasure. 'Yes!' he rejoiced inside. 'I _got_ her!'

"...Yousuke?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you think that if Sakura chooses to go back to that horrible place... she will find someone over there... like you?"

Yousuke stopped, and thought for a moment. "You mean, a total jerk who can't see common sense, until it's beaten into him? Of course! There are plenty of the male species of that type, especially those of her age."

"No, silly! I mean, one that will make her happy... the way you've made me happy."

Yousuke's heart melted at these words. That was it: he had to have her. "Darling," he asked huskily, "are you talking about us, or Sakura?"

"Well—"

"Actually, love, scratch that. Let's not talk right now; we'll do that later."

And indeed, they did.

* * *

Notes:

About Sasuke's insults to Orochimaru: Orochimaru's speech does lean toward the feminine way of speaking, ending sentences in "ne" and "yo". Seriously, Orochimaru does talk that way in Japanese! Jiraiya speaks like an old man.


	28. Start

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a cross-over with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 28: Start

* * *

"Sakura-oneechan... are you really going away?"

Sakura looked up, and saw a blue-haired sprite standing in the doorway. The kunoichi was beginning to pack her traveling gear for the journey into the Rifts. She, Minoru and Potamos would set off in a few days.

Sakura gave a sad smile. "I'm going on a trip, Umi-chan."

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. The trip could take months. Maybe even a year."

Three seconds after she uttered these words, the kunoichi found the short girl embracing her waist in a tight grip. "That's too long, Sakura-oneechan!" Umi exclaimed.

Sakura could tell that the girl was very, very upset, although not on the brink of tears. At Umi's age, a year seemed like forever. The older girl returned the hug, and then began to stroke Umi's blue hair.

"I'm sorry Umi. I really am. But I have to do this. Besides — you don't need me. You have your parents, family, and friends. And," Sakura tapped the sprite's nose, "you're growing. You're getting stronger."

'That's why you'll get over it,' Sakura commented inside, 'even if I don't come back.'

* * *

Sakura, Minoru, and Potamos stood in front of a glowing portal — the only connection between Minerva and the Rifts. The hole itself was swirling with colors. It was not open yet, but it regularly opened and closed every other week for about an hour's duration. A number of guards stood by for security reasons.

"Take good care of her, Minoru," Yousuke said as he shook the elf's hand.

Minoru answered with a curt nod. "Of course, Viento-sama."

Yousuke made a face. "Ugh. I keep telling you not to call me that."

Minoru had his green robes on, yet he also was armed with a bow, a quiver full of arrows, knives in various places of his body, and a pack of supplies on his back. Potamos still wore her revealing, red fairy-dress with purple shorts and purple gloves, but now wore a black mantle. Sakura was armed with Tennyo on the left side of her waist, her shuriken holster on her right leg, and a pouch of other supplies behind Tennyo's scabbard. Her red, Chinese-style dress remained ever-so-durable, and she wore it with pride along with her traveler's cloak.

Momoko hugged Sakura. "Sakura, be careful out there. Protect each other, and fight for each other: that's what makes a perfect team." The half-angel then turned to Potamos, and hugged her as well, much to everyone else's amazement. "Potamos, I'm glad that you agreed to come along with Sakura. I can tell that she is very lucky to have a friend like you."

The water-demon blushed and giggled.

Meanwhile, Scarlett took her pupil to the side. "Sakura, I just want to tell you to be very, very careful out there. Minoru has done this trip many times before, so you must listen to him. And Potamos... Well, convince her to do the same if she doesn't."

Sakura smiled. "Don't worry, Scarlett-sensei. I won't let my guard down." She touched the hilt of Tennyo, now firmly strapped to her waist. "Thank you for teaching me so much."

"There are still a few things you could learn, but maybe when you get back," Scarlett said with a grin. She lowered her voice. "And be careful with your aura. If you go off inventing crazy things, Minoru can help only to a certain point. And don't go showing your magic off to the common folk there; they have a tendency to inflate and spread stories that somehow manage to seep into the angel and demon realms."

"The portal is opening!" Yousuke called out. Sure enough, the sea of color began to mix together, until a white mist was left.

One of the more important-looking officials walked over to the wall of mist, put his staff in it, and pulled it out, much like a thermometer. The orb on top of the staff changed from red to blue. "You may go in now," he announced.

"I'll go first," Minoru said. He stepped into the portal, and disappeared through the mist.

Sakura was a little nervous. She also was intrigued by the portal — 'What is this _made_ of?' — and was about to examine it. Yet she had no time: Potamos grabbed her hand, and pulled her along into the white cloud. "Let's go Sacchan!"

Sakura yelped with the quick jerk. The last thing that passed through was her silky, pink hair.

Yousuke gave a sigh. Whether it was of relief or frustration, no one could tell. He turned to Momoko and Scarlett. "I do hope that you're sure about this, Scarlett-san."

"Quite sure." Scarlett walked away. "I have some work to do now. We'll keep in contact with Minoru, once they reach an elfin village."

* * *

Tsunade tapped her fingers on her desk. She could not help but be nervous. Who wouldn't be? Jiraiya and Naruto were out on a long training trip. With all the calm around, it was a shame to leave the enthusiastic ninja caged in the village. He agreed to put off taking the Chuunin exams, as long as he trained with Jiraiya.

(( "Don't worry! Once I come back, I'll kick ASS!"

"Just train with Jiraiya."

"Gotcha!" ))

But it was precisely this calm which made Tsunade nervous. The Sound was still in existence, under Orochimaru's command. Their attacks against Konoha were decreasing in frequency, true. Yet questions remained. Were they growing weaker, while the Leaf was holding more or less stable? Or were they growing stronger and stronger by the second? True, Orochimaru's village was still termed a minor village, but Konoha was dubbed likewise with such a title, only less than a century ago.

Moreover, Orochimaru had Sasuke on his forces. It was bad enough that one Uchiha was with the Akatsuki, but the other with the Sound... Just what happened to Sasuke? It was nearly a year since he left, and there was yet no sign of him.

'Orochimaru may have possessed Sasuke's body... but this is highly unlikely. If that were the case, he'd be much more active. Hell, he would attack Konoha the next second. At least I can order the ANBU to capture Sasuke alive, instead of just killing him. He's too valuable of a soldier, and hasn't yet earned the title of an S-rank criminal.'

There was also another Konoha genin whom Tsunade had not heard from. Sakura had been missing for a whole seven months.

Tsunade recalled one encounter with slight amusement.

(( Workers were beginning to chisel Tsunade's face next to the other Hokage — on 'that damn mountain', as she liked to call it. Yet it was the village's tradition to engrave the faces of their leaders there. Even the Hokage herself had no power over its construction.

When Tsunade took her first look at the initial stages, she wanted to turn away in disgust. It embarrassed her to see her face inflated a thousand times over. 'I'm just Tsunade,' she wanted to insist. But then, she noticed a pink-haired girl climbing the mountain, completely ignoring the fact that she was in a work zone.

"What are you doing up there, young lady!" Tsunade called out. "That's dangerous!"

Sakura groaned, not recognizing the person's voice. Yet another person was yelling at her. "I'm training!" the kunoichi shouted in frustration. "Don't stop me!"

Tsunade opened her mouth to say something, then stopped. The girl was determined — she wanted to prove herself. She was very much like Tsunade when she was younger.

"What's your workout?" the Hokage decided to ask.

Sakura still did not look down. She had to concentrate with this exercise. "Climb up and climb down, repeat three times, and make sure to enjoy the sunset."

Tsunade laughed. "I suppose that you got that from Gai. Only he would come up something so insane and romantic at the same time."

Sakura froze. It finally dawned on her: she just yelled at the Hokage! Sakura gulped as she looked down. Indeed, it was the Fifth. "I am in SO much shit now," the pink-haired girl mumbled to herself.

Tsunade examined the girl hanging on the rocks. Was she so desperate that she was going to Gai, of all teachers? Well, Kakashi _was_ pretty lazy... He did his normal missions impeccably, but he always managed to waste other people's time in some way.

"Kakashi told me that you're good with genjutsu. Gai is a taijutsu specialist — why go to him?"

"I need to get stronger," Sakura said. Her fingers shook: a little in fear, a little in nervousness, but most of all, in shame. "I can't rely on genjutsu alone."

A smile tugged at Tsunade's lips. What a simple, yet powerful answer. Perhaps she could do something for the girl. ))

Tsunade sighed. 'Sakura, where the hell are you? I cannot worry about you forever. And neither can your parents.'

* * *

Sakura looked at the wonderful scenery. She and her two companions had stepped on the side of a mountain, with a dramatic view of the valley and plains below. "Wow," she breathed as she followed Minoru down the slope. "These are the Rifts?"

"Don't let appearances deceive you," Minoru said. "It's not all peace and quiet. Many things here are a bit unstable. You see that forest patch over there, right at the foot of that mountain?" He pointed southwest, and Sakura's eyes followed his finger.

"What about it?" she asked.

"By this time tomorrow, that exact forest and mountain will be around a kilometer apart from each other."

"Excuse me?" his pink-haired friend asked. "Are you saying that trees MOVE here?"

"The ground moves," Minoru corrected. "Not in a jerky way like Earth, with volcanoes and earthquakes — it's just smoother, and faster. The only places that remain in one piece are the magically-enforced villages, and the energy springs."

"How does that work?" Sakura asked. "The moving, I mean?"

"It's the aura between the different realms!" Potamos answered cutely and intelligently. "The Rifts act like a wetland, absorbing and cleaning the energy from the angel and demon worlds before they get into the human world."

"Minoru-san... Would we be able to get into the human world?" Sakura was curious about the human realm of this dimension. She read in the Minerva books of their advancement in technology. Magic was forgotten in that realm; they did not need it — they even could blow their whole world up, several times over, if they wanted to.

"There are a few random openings between the human realm and the Rifts. Slave-traders here always look for them."

Sakura almost tripped over the rocky ground. "There are _slave_-traders?"

Minoru sighed. "The books in Minerva fail to mention that particular fact. Intentionally, I think. Whenever a poor soul falls into the Rifts from the human realm, their identity is forgotten at home. So they often end up as servants or slaves to other beings living in the Rifts."

"That's terrible!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yes, it is. For this reason, some runaway humans form gangs. Some of the freed ones become volunteer protectors of their villages. A number even work with elves to learn magic — it sometimes takes them a lifetime. The less-patient ones sell their... souls to a powerful spirit or two, in exchange for instant magic." The elf glanced to his side, where Potamos was humming to herself. "Do not skip so enthusiastically, devil-child. You have to preserve your energy."

"Okey-dokey!" Potamos reduced herself to a moderate walk, but she kept a bounce in her step. Sakura grinned. The water-demon had a wonderful skill of complying with people's wishes, while still pleasing herself.

* * *

"Ero-sennin, are we there YET?"

"The inn is somewhere around here. And I have a name, boy. It's Jiraiya."

"I have a name, too! It's Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Nevertheless, you're still a brat."

"You're still a pervy old man."

Thus was the daily ritual between master and pupil. Well, not exactly master — and the pupil was far from the perfect student. Both were stubborn, had eccentric personalities, and insulted each other in public so much that it was hard to believe that both were ninja. Then again, any freak could be a ninja nowadays...

After three hours of walking in a circle, the two finally reached an inn. It wasn't anything grand, but at least it was clean. But Naruto could figure out exactly why Jiraiya chose this particular place.

There was a bathhouse next door.

After checking in, Jiraiya handed Naruto his bag. This was also common practice. "Boy, you can go to the room and amuse yourself. Mold chakra, or something. I'm off to do research."

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, sure. Research."

Jiraiya trained Naruto, of course, but not until he was done satiating his less-than-noble endeavors. If it were not for the fact that the sennin helped Naruto so much during the Chuunin exams, the blond teen would have asked for a different person to tutor him. But Kakashi was needed in the higher missions back in Konoha, and Tsunade had gone through so much trouble just to give Naruto this opportunity to study, without being bogged down by low-rank missions.

The blond fox-boy slammed the traveling bags on the floor. An angry yell sounded from below. "Sorry, person on the second floor," Naruto called through the tatami mat, not meaning the apology at all.

Naruto decided to study one of the scrolls Tsunade gave him. He opened a bag — and discovered that he grabbed the wrong one. It was Jiraiya's stuff. There were several notebooks.

To be more precise, they were manuscripts. For a certain, very popular, _adult_ series. 'Wow,' Naruto thought. 'So he actually WORKS now and then. I wonder how much he makes writing this trash.' Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened one of the notebooks.

'Hey, this isn't so bad,' he thought. 'It doesn't even seem that dirty. What's Kakashi blushing about when he reads this stuff?'

He did not know the characters, or the story — he had only opened the notebook in the middle — but that made no difference to a boy like him. He just imagined himself in the place of the hero. Heck, there was no real plot except getting the girl.

He decided to read further. Naruto suddenly became interested in a certain chapter. Needless to say, it was turning graphic.

Naruto was currently going through a growth spurt, growing taller. His voice cracked now and then, and his facial appearance grew more handsome and mature by the second. He also was becoming more curious in... well, the opposite sex. It was different from his crush on Sakura. He wanted to know more about relationships, and — let's face it — anatomy.

He gulped. One part of him was saying, 'No, no! This is fake, it's phony, real love is MOST probably not like this, that pervert wrote this, YOU MORON, WHY ARE YOU CONTINUING TO READ?'

Yet his teenage hormones were driving him to go further. Pretty soon, Naruto was blushing furiously. He did not understand every single detail and word, but he wanted to learn. Hey, he wanted a girlfriend, right? Maybe if he kept reading...

He felt something very, very hard slam down on top of his skull.

* * *

Sakura washed a smooth, flat stone near a creek. Using it as a block, the pink-haired girl sliced the herbs and vegetables Minoru picked up on the way. She crushed them with the flat side of the kunai, and scraped off the wad into a simmering pot of water. Potamos, meanwhile, was learning from Minoru how to skin a rabbit. The three were surrounded by two cliffs facing each other, near a creek.

Sakura was a bit disappointed with the lack of excitement in this trip. She had hoped that there would be more of the Rifts' monsters she read about in the library. She wanted something to fight against.

Instead, the only creatures they encountered so far were cute, furry little animals.

It was driving Sakura insane.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon on the first day of the trip, and she still had not touched any of her weapons. She did not necessarily have the urge to bleed something, but she wanted to practice with her katana and various jutsu.

Minoru walked over with the clean pieces of meat, and put them in the pot of water. He helped Sakura kindle the fire with more wood and a touch of magic.

The elf noticed the restlessness of his ninja companion. "Sakura-san, you may practice your magic and kendō over there," Minoru said. "I'll take over the cooking from now."

The kunoichi gave Minoru a suspicious look. "Okay... thanks." She walked over to a more spacy area to review her sword moves.

Minoru sighed as he watched Sakura wobble off. 'Don't worry, Sakura-san. You'll get the practice you need soon enough.'

Sakura looked up into the cloudless, darkening sky. 'Oh well. I guess I can put something into practice.' Her hands made the seals, and she drew out Tennyo. The green was becoming more prominent. Glowing sword in hand, she danced through her moves.

The kunoichi still could not find a sequence that brought out as much pink chakra. In fact, she still could only bring out a line of the angelic ki through Tennyo. It was strange: when she first received the katana, Sakura had an easier time manifesting the pink, angelic aura than before. Now, it was as if only the green agreed to show up.

It was probably because Sakura still could not find a sequence to go along with the angelic aura. After all, Sakura just drew from what she learned about wind-style jutsu, and experimented with different (and fairly safe-looking) sequences before she actually used them with Tennyo. That was basically all she did to bring out her wind-demon blood.

It was frustrating that one part of her was incomplete. What irked her more was that before she left with Minoru and Potamos, Scarlett did not even help her student in bringing her angelic aura to the level of the demonic aura. The angel taught Sakura kendō and iaidō, but what about some hard-core spells? Scarlett herself was an angel — so why wasn't she helping to balance things out? Did she have no faith in her student to go the distance?

'Maybe I'm thinking too much in terms of human relationships,' Sakura thought. 'I'm a little too obsessed with those. I have no choice but to trust my instinct.'

Sakura deactivated her aura in Tennyo, and slid the katana back in its scabbard. She then walked over to a patch of sand near the creek, and picked up a long stick. With it, she began to write in the sand.

Potamos walked over. "Sacchan, dinner's ready!" The water-demon glanced at what Sakura was doing. "What's that? It looks like a really... messy diagram."

"It's a jutsu-equation," Sakura explained. What she drew looked like an abstract painting. Various kanji of the hand-seals were written in the sand, connected with lines and pointing arrows. "It's incomplete, though. And maybe doing it in sand is not such a good idea."

Potamos' yellow cat-eyes widened in amazement. "Wow... I had no idea it was so complicated. Usually you just force something out in your own language if you use a spell. But Sacchan, Mino-chan made a yummy bunny stew. Come on; let's eat!"

* * *

"It's true, your eminence. Haruno Sakura is nowhere to be found in Minerva. She has left the Fuuma residence."

"If she's not in Minerva, then where is she?"

"I do not know, sir. Nothing is reported on the matter. There was nothing in the data about a human entering the angel or demon realms. The only place left would be the human world."

"She has no reason to go there. She did not even grow up there — I know this for a fact." The man ground his teeth. "Let's leave it alone for now. At present, she is no threat. But if we find word of her again... we'll see what we can do."

"Of course."

The man exhaled in a tense manner as his servant walked out of the room. He would do anything for peace. But in his heart, he also wanted vengeance. Revenge, for the pain and humiliation his family suffered.

It was only fair — after all, his little brother was no different from her.

Oh, yes. He wanted Sakura dead. It would be sweet, and just.

* * *

Notes:

Due to popular demands, I think I should put a pairing in — at least for the sequel. I plan it to be either Sakura/Sasuke or Sakura/Minoru. Please vote!


	29. Stealth

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

There is no pairing yet; that's for the sequel. Besides, a dead-tie is really annoying (which seems to be what happened, although I'm not sure), and it seems that "Dimensional Exchanges" is going well without any pairings. Again, this might change.

Oh, yeah. At this period in time of the story: Sakura only has ONE new jutsu. It's a sword-power-up with wind-demon chakra. Please, dear readers, understand that Sakura will not get powerful so easily and so quickly. She's the heroine, for crying out loud. And when she gets back to the Shinobi world... [author cackles madly] Well, let's just say that it won't be a walk in the park there, either.

Anyway: this chapter is dedicated to all those who write good parodies.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 29: Stealth

* * *

Minoru surveyed the landscape. What he saw did not please him. "DAMN!" he exclaimed.

Sakura and Potamos looked, to see what exactly he swore at.

"So... It's a mountain," Sakura observed. "And from the look on your face, I guess it just decided to jump in our way to the village."

"Yes," the elf sighed.

"So what? We can wait for it to pass!" Potamos said, although she secretly had a wish to have a warm bath. "I'm getting used to all this hunting and stuff."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Minoru mumbled. "Yet what is _truly_ inconvenient is that the mountain is covering an energy spring. Our first goal is buried under meters and meters of earth."

Sakura was slightly ticked off with this piece of information. That meant even more time wasted on their journey. **'This RIDICULOUS realm, if you can call it a realm at all! SHANNAROOO!'**

"So what are we going to do?" Sakura asked.

"Well, judging by the speed and direction the mountain is going, it would be safest to go around its eastern side. The faster — yet more dangerous — route to the village would be to climb the mountain. We'll have to collect the energy from the spring later." Minoru glanced at his two female companions. "I guess you both are excited for a vertical challenge," he guessed out-loud.

"Let's go climbing!" Potamos chimed.

**'I second that one!'** Instead of saying anything, the green-eyed kunoichi nodded with a smile.

"Alright," the blond elf said, a grin tracing his lips.

"Yeay!" Potamos shouted in triumph.

* * *

A girl with short, dark hair walked quietly through the red-painted torii to the Shinto shrine. She took yet another long time in the forest to train alone, and it was already evening.

'I probably missed supper at home,' she thought. Her eyes filled with tears. 'Like it would matter to my father anyway if I show up or not. I'm already a disgrace in his eyes.'

Hinata often visited the village shrine, because it was the only place where she felt at peace. As for hope, encouragement, and a touch of positive nervousness: she got those from Naruto. Even if he might not have known it — how much his existence and philosophy of life made an impact on her — she was still thankful of his friendship and encouragement. She remembered with endearment, when exactly a year ago, she told Naruto that he was a strong person.

But at this moment, it did not matter to Hinata. She failed, yet again, to graduate the Chuunin exams.

There was nothing abnormal about failing the Chuunin examination at the age of thirteen. Most genin did not pass until they were seventeen or older. Hinata had nothing to worry about in the public eye; her fighting style was a unique and feared one in the Shinobi World. Although her father had given up tutoring her long ago, Hinata studied and practiced the Hyuuga Juuken-style on an independent basis.

Yet what scared her terribly was the possibility that she would never pass. Kiba and Shino passed the examinations, leaving her behind.

She had never felt so alone. She would probably have to be set in a whole new team. Kiba and Shino were good friends, and Kurenai was a wonderful teacher.

The girl looked at her palms, hardened from the practice of Jyuuken. She cleansed them in the spring of water near the foot of the shrine. Hinata walked up to the sacred area, shook the red-and-white rope to sound out the clunky bells. She clapped her hands twice, and closed her eyes in respect.

Peaceful. It was so peaceful, simply to stand there. It did not even matter if the gods were real or not; doing the ritual was calming in itself. 'If I weren't a Hyuuga, I would probably have taken up the job as a miko,' Hinata thought to herself with a smile.

'Why don't you?' a soft voice asked. There was a touch of an echo to it.

Hinata's light, lavender-colored eyes opened in fright. The veins around her eyes became more prominent, checking around for anybody. She saw plenty of unusual things, true — her Byakugan came in very handy; it was almost like a sixth sense to her — yet hearing people she could not see with her Bloodline Limit was something new. She heard a voice, but nobody was there.

She ran.

* * *

Sakura blinked as she hung from the cliff. She just had an unusual sensation pass her, as if a major historical event had occurred, and she had missed it. The kunoichi shook it off, and continued to climb.

Minoru was climbing up with vines that 'mysteriously' grew up the rocky cliff within the last half-hour.

"That's cheating!" Potamos whined as she saw the tendrils slowly go up next to her. They refused to help anyone but the elf.

"Look, it's not as if I have any CHOICE in the matter," Minoru growled. "The Rifts recognize me as a native, so my magic is a little more advanced in this place. So much that it's automatic at times."

"It's still cheating," the water-demon complained.

"Oh, come off it, Potamos," Sakura said. "We need the exercise for the arms and legs." She then whispered next to the water-demon's ear, "Besides, we can keep letting him be a pansy."

"What did you call me?" the elf asked indignantly.

"I'm kidding!" Sakura exclaimed, whereas the water-demon shrieked with laughter. The two girls decided to climb the cliff without using chakra — there was too much of a risk that Potamos would set off water, thus making the rocky surface nearly impossible to climb.

The pink-haired genin fondly studied the elf, who was now a few meters to her side. Minoru was now in his battle-uniform, as it was easier to climb in than his normal robes. He was like the older brother Sakura never had. He was decades older than her, yet it felt like she knew him forever.

"Minoru-san, your ears are becoming more pointed," Sakura observed. Indeed, the elf's appearance was turning more and more into what his species was supposed to look like. "Is that because of the Rifts, too?"

"That is correct," Minoru answered. "Whenever I get a surge of energy from my native lands, the ears start growing back into their original shape. So whenever I am out of the Rifts, it's natural that my physical appearance turns more human-like. So much that many people mistake me for a human woman in the normal realms."

"Woman — THAT'S just because you're a pretty boy," Potamos said, hitting the nail on the head. "I bet they think you're a girl, even when you don't cross-dress." Sakura chuckled as her fingers reached another crevice.

"Oh, please shut up," the elf said in a bored tone.

The three finally reached the top. The place was full of greenery. It was a good thing their supplies were light; otherwise it would have been of agony to climb the slope.

Sakura's fingers were sore. She saw that one of her nails had painful separated from the flesh it protected underneath. 'Yeesh, these take nearly forever to heal,' she thought to herself as she touched the tender fingertip.

A dart whizzed past her, and hit the tree trunk next to her face.

Sakura jumped away. "ON GUARD!" she yelled.

Minoru pulled out a two blades, clicking away the shower of darts.

Potamos looked shocked as a number hit her. She stumbled, then fell over the edge of the rocky cliff.

"POTAMOS!" Sakura screamed. She then put chakra in her legs, and looked for the source of the darts.

A man with green hair sat in the trees with a blowgun. Sakura's eyes locked on his. He looked shocked at the agility of the teenage girl.

"Sakura-san!" Minoru yelled. He then noticed a sudden dizziness. The blond looked down at his right thigh, and saw a dart he failed to evade. "Damn," was all he could say before he passed out.

Sakura was about to touch her katana — when she noticed a light shadow covering her. She pulled out Tennyo in flash, and sliced apart the net from above.

The green-haired man sitting in the trees got out of his trance. He pulled out his own sword, and used it to block Sakura's attack. The two weapons clashed together.

"You son of a bitch!" Sakura yelled at the green-haired stranger. Their weapons separated for a moment, and met again in a full-fledged dual.

"Little kitten," he answered as he blocked and evaded her attacks, "I'm not — trying — to kill you."

'I've got to do something,' she thought frantically. **'And how dare he call me 'little kitten'!'** She noticed that he looked like some sort of bandit or thief. Sakura jumped back with a burst of chakra in her legs, and sheathed Tennyo. She flicked her hands together in the order: her one and only sequence to bring out her wind-demon blood.

Before she could touch the handle to bring out a green, powered-up weapon, something came out of the trees. Sakura was bewildered to find the same thief fall on top of her from above, tackling her on the ground. **'Holy shit, he's FAST!'**

She struggled as she was pinned to the ground by his weight and strong grip. "I think I need to tie you up with something special, little kitten," he whispered.

Something terribly cold touched Sakura's wrists. Her battle aura suddenly drained out. And then, she knew no more.

* * *

Orochimaru threw Sasuke into a cave. The two had a one-on-one battle, which the sennin easily had the upper-hand with. He was both proud and disgusted that his student was going this far without using the curse — the boy was so stubborn, but nonetheless excellent.

Sasuke fell face-first into a puddle of water.

"You will have approximately two hours before you run out of oxygen," Orochimaru called from the entrance. "Ready, go." The daylight plugged out as the teacher sealed the place completely shut.

Sasuke was exhausted. He took a while to catch his breath. He had an insane teacher. Genius, yet insane. Sasuke's task was to escape this place.

The raven-haired boy smiled to himself in dark. Now was his chance: Orochimaru left him completely alone. He waited for months for a moment like this. Sasuke turned on his Sharingan to see the glow of chakra from his body.

'Kuchiyose no Jutsu!' he mentally called out as his hands performed the In.

"Hey!" The same little snake that spoke to him — actually, the only snake that spoke to him — appeared at his feet.

"I have a task for you," Sasuke whispered in the pitch-black. With his genetic ability, he could see the outline chakra radiating from the snake. He took out a piece of paper from his fishnet undershirt, and handed it to the snake. "Take this to Mitarashi Anko. Don't tell the other snakes, and definitely not Orochimaru if he asks."

"Like he'd ever do that," the snake hissed as he grudgingly took the roll of paper in his jaws. "He hasn't called on the likes of little ol' me for years."

'Good,' Sasuke thought to himself. 'It was hard enough getting hold of the right paper and ink — I had to steal something while our forces raided a house.'

The baby anaconda looked expectantly at Sasuke. He was a lot more manners-conscious than his larger relatives, who usually obeyed orders without question. "Well?" he asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to thank me for being the messenger?"

"...Thanks," Sasuke mumbled. His innards twisted. It was a long time since he thanked anybody for anything.

(( "Sakura... Thank you." ))

"You're very welcome," the snake said with a tone of satisfaction, even though what he got of a thank-you was barely coherent. He and the rolled-up parchment disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The raven-haired young man sighed, and picked himself up from the mucky ground. 'Now to get out of here before Orochimaru starts wondering what I'm doing.'

* * *

Sakura let off a grown. Her eyes fluttered open to the sound of merrymaking and dancing. She noticed that her wrists were tied behind her back, and her ankles bond together with the same material. She was in a sitting position next to a warm body.

"Minoru-san!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Sakura-san... I'm sorry. I wasn't alert enough." His voice was hoarse. He looked either sleep-deprived or drugged, having bags under his eyes. "And Potamos is..."

Sakura turned away. She had seen Potamos fall over the cliff, darts riddling her skin. The kunoichi would have cried, here and now, were it not for the sticky situation they were in.

"Hey, look! The prisoners are awake!" someone yelled in a drunken stupor. Of course, not many could hear him; other people in the party were yelling and singing as well.

Sakura turned around, and found herself surrounded by a number of thieves. The place they were in looked like the hall of an abandoned castle. All sorts of odd commodities lurked in the dirty corners. Gold and silver golbets, weaponry, trinkets, jewelry: the works.

The drunken thief clumsily staggered toward them. He sat down in front of Sakura. "Hmmm... You're a fine piece, lil' girl. I've always liked green eyes. I never thought that pink was a good hair color, but ya proved me wrong." He hiccupped, and giggled.

Sakura wondered whether a compliment from a drunken idiot counted as anything. He then stuck his slobbery face into her own, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Then again, you don't seem to have any boobs."

Sakura spat in his face. **'GO AWAY, CREEP!'**

She realized, too late, that this move was the wrong one. The bandit's face folded together in a snarl. "Why, you little —"

_Clunk._

The man dropped on the ground, unconscious, from the combination of drinking and the pot that hit the backside of his head. Sakura saw in that the person who knocked the bandit unconscious was none other than the thief who had caught her in the first place.

The green-haired thief turned around, and addressed the bandits who were intently watching the scene. "They're mine," he said coldly. "I caught them."

The others turned away nervously, and resumed their partying activities. Apparently, Sakura noted, this man was feared and respected among the group.

"You shouldn't cause so much attention to yourself," he warned as he stooped down to Sakura. "You're helpless, after all." He held up her shuriken holster for her to see — almost in triumph.

Sakura resisted the urge to spit at him as well. Yet something was not right as she glanced back down to her own body.

Tennyo was still strapped to her waist. 'Why the hell is this?' Sakura thought. The katana still in her possession did not help now, as her wrists were secured tightly behind her back. Yet why did the thief not take it from her? A blade like Tennyo was easily ten times more valuable than her ninja gear.

Sakura glanced at Minoru. He was stripped of his travel gear. Whether he still was with his knives, Sakura could not tell; he hid them so well when he did have them on.

As a few minutes passed by, the blond elf's appearance turned better.

Minoru began to whisper strange words to himself. Sakura smiled. He was trying a spell.

Minoru gasped in pain.

"Magic won't work while you're in those ropes," the green-haired thief causally mentioned. "They absorb ki once you try to produce it. So don't try anything funny if you value your life."

"What do you want, human?" Minoru asked in a low voice, after the pain subsided. "Why didn't you kill us when you had the chance?"

"I'll keep those reasons to myself," the thief said quietly. "Meanwhile, keep it down, unless you want to die a humiliating death by the others." He walked away.

"I can't _believe_ I was caught by a human," Minoru brooded out loud. "At least I know he's decent."

"How do you know that!" Sakura demanded.

Minoru remained silent. 'Great, he's pulling a Sasuke,' Sakura thought to herself in disgust, although some part of her wanted to grin.

It was a few hours before anything changed in the party.

When something did happen, it was nothing that any of the thieves expected, nor Sakura or Minoru. Neither was it anything they wanted.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" a voice echoed through the hallway.

'Oh, damnation...' Minoru thought, rolling his eyes. He recognized the chirpy voice anywhere.

The thieves turned their heads to the upper window that showed the silhouette of a young girl in a very short dress. She seemed unfazed by the tough crowd's response, which was half-drunk and half-laughing.

**'WHY THE HELL IS HER BACK TURNED TOWARDS US?'** Inner Sakura yelled.

"Festivities and liquor with good cheer are all fine and well," the darkened figure announced, "but when my friends are taken prisoner and tied up like some livestock..."

"What?" Minoru hissed.

"...then your party has turned into nothing but a lame college party!" the figure ended. "You are no different than your idiot-counterparts on Earth!"

Suddenly, the hall stopped laughing and hooting, and the thieves glowered at the figure. "Who hell asked you to be a judge!" one bandit yelled out.

The figure posed. Sakura could swear that the moon was getting brighter as the person turned her head.

"I am Potamos of the Suima-Zoku! You lot have done far enough to insult and hurt my team! IN THE NAME OF UNDINE, the guardian spirit of water, I SHALL PUNISH Y—"

_Clunk._

The water-demon collapsed. Stars bounced around in her vision. Above her stood none other than the green-haired thief, with the exact same pot he had used on a fellow thief earlier that evening.

"Fellow kinsmen, resume with the party. We've just acquired another prisoner!" he announced. "Let's make a toast — to Undine!"

The hall erupted in cheers and laughter.

"Potamos, you MORON!" Sakura cried out.

Pretty soon, the water-demon was tied up in said anti-chakra ropes, and dropped off next to her comrades.

"Ya sure have a knack with catching weirdos," one thief commented to the green-haired man.

"Thanks," he replied casually, a disgusting smirk on his face.

"Devil-child," Minoru spat to Potamos.

"I just wanted to make a point!" she wailed. Her yellow cat-eyes filled up with tears. "Ow. These ropes hurt."

Sakura fumed. **'SHANNAROOO, we are SCREWED!'** "If there is a next time, Potamos — then try an _ambush_," she growled.

* * *

Notes:

"torii" - gateway to the Shinto shrine.

"miko" - priestess. They are daughters of priests or local residents, performing minor duties of a Shinto shrine, as well as participate in ceremonial dances for the kami. They are NOT vestal virgins, and when they marry, their positions are taken up by others.

Mitsuishi Kotono - the name of the seiyuu who plays Usagi in "Sailor Moon" and Potamos in "Wedding Peach".


	30. Ropes and Entanglement

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

:sigh: Only three reviews for the last chapter. (Lady Light, Maya Amano, and Fwoggie, thank you! I always look forward to people who are willing enough to give constructive criticism!) Was the reference that Potamos and Usagi have the same voice actress giving away too much? Or was it just too silly? Yeah, that was probably it.

HOWEVER! I will NOT get depressed about it. I'm just going to make things better. And now that our trio is in dangerous territory, some more action will come in. (This for you, Maya Amano-san!)

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 30: Ropes and Entanglement

* * *

Minoru pondered things to himself as he waited for the fiesta to die down. Sakura was leaning against his left shoulder, while Potamos was curled up in his lap.

'I don't get it,' Sakura thought. 'Why didn't he steal Tennyo when he had the chance?'

"Hey, Potamos," the kunoichi whispered, trying to strike up some conversation. "What exactly did you do when... that guy attacked us? Water-clone?"

The demon nodded quietly. She didn't feel like talking at the moment. Who would, being tied up and taken prisoner of some mountain gang composed of runaway humans?

Sakura quietly laughed. "Wow. You held it pretty well together for a long time, even though it was stuck with darts. How long did it hold?"

"Mm," Potamos replied.

Sakura rolled her eyes: that was it. Not only Minoru, but Potamos also showed early stages of Sasuke-syndrome, which was identifiable by the tendency to use monosyllabic answers to any type of question — or even better, no answers at all. "Come on, Potamos. It's not over yet. We still have a chance to get out of this dump."

"Like what?" the purple-haired girl managed to croak out. "They're gonna feed us to the wolves in the morning!"

"Potamos—"

"Shhh!" Minoru suddenly interrupted. He had only partially listened to the conversation, because he was intently watching the bandits fall asleep or pass out, one by one.

Potamos began to sob quietly in the elf's lap. It was bad enough that she was caught by humans, but the fact that she could not escape because of aura-sapping ropes: it was absolutely mortifying. "I don't wanna be fed to the wolves!" she moaned.

"Don't cry!" Minoru hissed.

Potamos looked up, sniffing. Her jaw dropped at what she saw.

Minoru's hands were free from the ropes, and he was already working on his ankles. "The entire gang is conveniently asleep, so don't waste this chance!" he whispered with urgency.

"That's right, Potamos." Sakura nodded with a smile. Potamos' head darted to her pink-haired friend, who was now throwing away the remains of her own binding. "If you want to escape, now's the _perfect_ time."

The human and elf got up, and quickly began to scuffle away.

While Potamos was still tied up.

"WAIT!" the purple-haired girl squealed, a touch of panic in the height of her voice. "Sacchan, Don't leave me behind!"

Sakura allowed her head to drop in exasperation, while Minoru turned around with a scowl on his face. He lifted his index finger to his lips, fiercely hushing the water-demon to be quiet. "SHHHH!"

Sakura retraced her steps, and stooped down to Potamos to help her with the ropes. "The Nawanuke no Jutsu is a basic of ninja basics!" the kunoichi quietly scolded. "Getting through the rope doesn't even require chakra!"

The water-demon's mouth formed a silent 'oh'.

Minoru began to collect their stolen items from various people in the room. He found his pouch of supplies with one burly-looking man, his bow and quiver was buried under the arms of another, the cloaks were used for blankets, and the ninja gear had to be retrieved from the junk pile.

To make up for his lost arrows (which were nicely distributed among the thieving brethren, thus making it impossible for Minoru to find and retrieve all in a timely manner), the elf helped himself to some gold from the treasury. He knew well that two wrongs never made a right — but they needed money for the trip. And the gang had plenty of money to spare; its members were eating and drinking like kings.

Sakura and Potamos tip-toed to Minoru, and they quietly put on their supplies and gear. They proceeded to escape through the open window which was four meters above the ground outside. All three jumped, and landed like acrobats.

An idea occurred in Sakura's head as they began to walk away. "Hey, Potamos, why don't you scatter a few maki-bishi, just in case a few bandits wake up and follow us? I don't have any on me, as I only have weapons."

"Ninja calthrops? Okay!" Potamos began to dig in her supply-bag. "Maki-bishi, maki-bishi... Oh, here they are! I think."

She took out a pouch, pulled out the contents with her fingers, and tossed them towards the castle.

The items exploded on impact.

This was not exactly helpful for a successful, quiet escape.

"...Was that supposed to happen with maki-bishi?" Potamos asked nervously.

"NO," Sakura huffed as she pointed at the label on the pouch. "You used something else."

Potamos squinted, and sure enough, the bag held something completely different from maki-bishi. The water-demon winced at her mistake. "Kanshaku-dama," she mumbled. "Exploding beads..."

"RUN!" Minoru hissed. Sakura and Potamos did not hesitate, as there were voices coming from the thieves' hideout.

"How in the world could you mistake exploding beads for calthrops!" Minoru exclaimed in irritation. He turned around, seeing two distinct figures chasing them. "We're being followed..."

The three managed to reach the forest. Sakura jumped into the bushes, Minoru went up in the trees, and Potamos disguised herself as a puddle of water.

And there, they waited.

* * *

_Snap._

The two thieves who were sober enough to chase the prisoners slowly walked in the forest. They knew perfectly well that the three were hiding here.

Sakura noticed the shape of the glinting objects the men held. One was armed with a glaive, and the other had an ax.

The seconds ticked by.

The psychological agony of it all made the kunoichi's senses painfully acute. The crinkle of dead leaves under the thieves' boots might as well have been the steps of a giant. She wished that her heart did not pound so hard; she almost believed that it would give her location away.

The human girl lay on her back under the bushes, trailing the thieves with her green eyes through the foliage. Her fingers lightly touched the hilt of Tennyo, ready to grip it and slide out the blade — ready to slice the bandits' throats if they laid a hand on Potamos, Minoru, or her...

She then realized that this was the wrong way to think. She was a ninja. She needed a real plan, in the case she should be discovered. 'If they find us... They'd definitely attack. If we put up a fight, they'd yell for help, and then we'd have a whole army of outlaws to face — unless the rest are too drunk to hear.'

The axe-carrying thief walked toward a puddle — or rather, what looked like a puddle. The water began to ripple, despite the fact that there were trees around that blocked wind.

'The devil-child must be nervous,' Minoru thought from the trees. 'Or shaking from excitement. Whatever you do, don't attack them — we don't need a yell from them, Potamos...'

He would step in the puddle any second.

'Oh, no.' Sakura's eyes widened in panic.

His foot stopped an inch away from Potamos' disguised form. He then turned around to speak with his glaive-wielding comrade.

Sakura wanted to sigh in relief.

"Let's go that way," the man said. "They're not here. Maybe they made a right angle and took the trail through the bog area." In truth, he knew that the prisoners were here somewhere — but he was too ashamed to admit that he couldn't find them.

"Let's just go; they're not ours, anyway," the glaive-wielder hissed. "The young master should have killed them or sold them to the slaving party that just passed us. The elf would have made a good price."

**'I dare you to say that again, PUNK!'**

The kunoichi, elf, and water-demon waited five minutes after the bandits had left. Minoru was the first to get down from the trees. Sakura crawled out from her hiding place.

"That... was close," Minoru breathed. He turned to the puddle. "You can come out now."

The pool shrinked together as Potamos rose out of it. She looked tired, yet she was lazily smiling. "How long were we hiding?" she innocently asked.

Minoru shrugged. "Why are you asking?"

"I wanna know how long I stayed in that disguise," Potamos said groggily. "My personal record is seven minutes and two seconds."

"It felt like forever in my mind," Sakura groaned. She then noticed that demon's yellow eyes seemed to be glazed. "Hold it, Potamos... how much chakra did you use in that disguise?" The water-demon answered with a dazed and happy look on her face. Her foot clumsily snapped a twig, which brought a nervous look from Sakura.

The elf rolled his eyes. "You've wasted too much aura, in addition to having those draining ropes. I'm going to carry you, because you won't be able to walk carefully enough."

Potamos seemed to have lost her pride as a demon — or any feeling at all. The purple-haired being glomped onto Minoru's back with gratitude, and he lifted her up.

Sakura and Minoru jumped through the trees. Sakura took up everyone else's packs, since Minoru strapped the tired water-demon to his back with vines. Sakura put chakra in her feet, while Minoru utilized his normal physical strength and balance as an elf to jump after Sakura.

They reached the other end of the forest. They could see a spot of land that was covered by a mist. Potamos was now sleeping peacefully. Minoru pointed to the fog patch. "Under there is the village — we should get there soon."

Something caught his eye, and he froze. A look of sheer amazement passed his face. Sakura peered over to see what captivated him so much.

About ten meters away was a crack in the earth. And pouring out of it, like lava, was a pale, yellow substance.

"Is that... what I think it is?" Sakura asked breathlessly.

"The Energy Spring of Luna," Minoru said. "The ether must have forced its way up through the mountain when it was covered. Sakura-san, give me my supplies. And you don't have to whisper anymore, although you should avoid shouting — we're on the other side of the mountain." The elf wasted no time in dropping Potamos gently off his back.

The elf pull out a pen — or what seemed like a pen. He whispered a few words over it, as if it were a microphone, and the energy-collector began to pulse with light. Minoru stuck its end into the yellow ether seeping out of the Energy Spring, and held it there.

"This will take about an hour," Minoru explained. He then glanced up the mountain, and a cross look streaked across his face. "Oh, any time excluding this one, please..."

Sakura turned around, and saw a dot move down the mountain through the trees, heading towards them.

"The creep who caught us," Sakura growled. "And if we see him, that means that he can see us, too." She folded her hands together in thought, coming up with a plan.

Minoru recognized the look on her face. "Oh, no, Sakura-san, you are not going to—"

"I'll hold him up," Sakura said. "We have no other choice; you have to stay there until that thing is done with collecting the energy. Potamos," Sakura pointed to the water-demon, who was sleeping against a tree-trunk, "can't fight now. I'm the only one who can stop him."

Minoru bit his lip.

"Can you come up with a better plan?" Sakura lightly challenged.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he paused. "Fine, Sakura-san. But if you have to fight, keep it quiet. And by all means, do NOT use your aura."

"I know, the ropes." Sakura then turned her heels and walked back into the forest.

* * *

The green-haired thief stooped to rest. It had been about a half-hour walk. He knew that his teenage ex-prisoner was coming after him. In fact, he was not after the elf or the demon — they were too much trouble to dispose of. He was good at catching aura-dependent beings, and had fun with them — yet this mountain currently was near an elfin village, and his group of robbers had to lie low on this side of the mountain for the time being. The last thing they needed was to have elves sense a death of their own kind nearby.

He jumped to the side, a kunai barely missing his shoulder by a few inches.

The thief drew out his sword, and blocked the back-attack Sakura threw at him. She glared at him with her bright, green eyes.

"I want to compliment you on finding the weakness of those ropes," he said, as Sakura attacked him again. The two separated, and he shot his blade at her, which she evaded. "You even show sense in attacking me without aura — very good. I don't like girls tied down, anyway."

"What are you implying?" Sakura asked with disgust.

"I'm no pervert, but I do want something from you." He fingered the hilt of his sword lovingly. "At least hear me out, little kitten."

Sakura carefully observed the man. She did not have to rush things. In fact, she had to hold him up for at least half an hour. If he wanted to talk, that simply bought the time Minoru needed to finish collecting the energy. "Where are your minions?" she asked casually. "Oh, yeah, I forgot — they're too smashed up to do anything."

"Yes. And thank God." The thief grinned, almost charmingly. "Because I want a duel with you alone."

Sakura blinked. "Duel?"

The green-haired man rolled his eyes. "Duel," he repeated, "noun. A one-on-one combat, usually reserved for reasons of honor."

"I know WHAT it is, I was just wondering why the hell you want to duel with me," Sakura said, obviously annoyed.

"Because I can tell you were taught by a master," he answered. "A good one — not any ordinary swordsman. Your skills are sharp at a young age, too. The way you attacked me in the first encounter —"

"Why are you concerned with whom I train with?" she shot back. "And you're not a very strategic thief. You have to attack your victims when their guard is down."

The thief's brow creased. "Look, I know you're a human, and a skilled one at that. I want to duel with you to test my swordsmanship." He smirked. "Why do you think I didn't take you to my bed the second I brought you to our hideout? That would have taken away your confidence as a fighter."

Sakura's face blushed in fury. "You sicko." **'SHAAANNAROOO!'**

The thief shrugged. "Hey, these are the Rifts. And I haven't really had anyone competent in a long time. I was going to challenge you in the morning, when both of us were fresh, but you took an early start." He pointed his weapon at her. "Ready?"

Before he said 'go', Sakura already blocked his incoming sword by drawing out her own. She looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Nice," he complimented. "You don't let your guard down. You'd make a better thief than some of the idiots in our hideout."

After blocking him about ten times more, Sakura twisted his sword out of the way. "I really don't want to kill you," she said through gritted teeth, frustrated. "Just let us go."

"I cannot risk our hideout location to be given away. This is a fight to the death, little kitten." The man aimed for her side. Sakura moved away, just in time.

He smiled at the horrified look on her face as she dodged it. She was good, however reluctant. "So you realize that I'm serious; that's good. You should feel grateful that you are the second human woman I challenged to a sword duel. The other was an Amazon."

"Why the hell do we have to fight?" Sakura asked frantically, almost indignantly. "I barely even know you!"

"Women!" he exclaimed. "Sentimental! Not knowing the enemy: that's what makes killing easier and less painful, at least to the one who's doing it. Don't you know the way of the Rifts? 'The strong are strong, and the weak are dead.' "

The pink-haired girl scowled. She despised that kind of philosophy. But at the same time, she realized that if she died without killing him, he'd probably go after Minoru and Potamos, who were currently tied at the Energy Spring.

In fact, the more she thought about, the more she realized: it was her own fault that Minoru and Potamos were here in the first place.

She was angry. Not only angry at this thief in front of her, challenging her to a ridiculous duel, but at herself. Why was she putting her friends' lives as risk like this, when it was clear that she had to stop this man? She even TOLD Minoru that she would do it. So why did she avoid putting her words into action?

She raised Tennyo in a kendō stance. Its blade glistened in the moonlight. "Fine," Sakura whispered. "Here's your duel." With these words, she lunged at him. "HAH!"

The kunoichi aimed for his side, and he slashed it away. Only skill and strength were her allies now. That meant: no jutsu, and no powering-up weapons. She had to bring him down quickly, utilizing Tennyo with pure kendō and iaidō. If she, at any time, began to show signs of aura, the thief would drain her more with his special material, thus making her lose both ki and physical strength.

Sakura jumped and twisted out of his way, only flicking his sword off-course when it got too close for comfort. She did not reach for her kunai or shuriken: the combat was so fast, and he was too close. She had no time to reach for extra weapons.

Their swords clashed again. The ringing of steel against steel become louder and louder to the pink-haired girl — it was too intense.

Sakura was running out of stamina. The thief smirked as the kunoichi tripped over a root in the ground. She was tired, and her muscles ached for oxygen. Even if she had the distance from her opponent, she would never be able to mold chakra in this condition. He thrust his weapon, aiming at her exposed torso — he was ready to stab her, to ram his blade directly through her heart.

Sakura's green eyes caught the nature of the attack, and she quickly rolled over on the leafy ground. His sword sunk into the earth, giving her time to swiftly thrust Tennyo into his side.

He cried out in pain as Sakura pulled away her katana.

The thief clutched where she had landed a hit. He slowly backed away from Sakura's rising form. "You... are very good." The thief lowered his head. A slight smile traced his lips.

"You too," Sakura said, panting. "I'm sorry."

Her opponent suddenly thrust his weapon at Sakura, and she evaded it with an elicit gasp. "A cut like that won't kill me!" he snarled. He performed a series of cuts and slashes against her, all which she barely pushed away.

The sudden attack backed her against a tree. With a twist of the thief's blade, he caused Tennyo to be thrown out of Sakura's hands. The kunoichi's posture tightened, as she was unarmed, sitting against a tree totally exhausted, and had a bandit pointing a sword at her face.

"You should have known, little kitten," the thief intoned at her trapped form, "that the most aggravating thing you can give a true warrior is pity."

Sakura's tired green eyes watched, as the thief swung his weapon towards her skull. All hope was lost. 'I've failed you, Minoru-san, Potamos... I've failed everyone at home...'

A dull and sickening hit echoed through the trees.

* * *

Notes:

"Nawanuke no Jutsu" - rope-unbinding technique.


	31. Cutting out the Heart

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

There are so many questions that I haven't answered yet. Well, the important ones, such as what is happening in the Shinobi world, what exactly is happening to Sakura's mental and physical abilities, what is she supposed to look like in the future — I can only reveal that as the story progresses. (Yes, I like using suspense. Why? Because I am evil.)

All I can give away about Sakura's appearance: she will NEVER have wings. No demon wings, no angel wings, because most demons and angels don't have them anyway in this alternate universe, i.e. other dimension. Not even Momoko or Yousuke have them in the original series. (Momoko is a love-angel, by the way. She and her teammates get them in the OVA, but that is about it.) No wings, and that is FINAL.

I also like showing flaws and weaknesses of the characters. Which comes to the topic of Minoru: I'll reveal more of his past and deep secrets soon.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 31: Cutting Out the Heart

* * *

Flecks of blood sprayed on Sakura.

With a shocked look on his face, the thief let go of his weapon as he gagged. The sword missed the girl. It flew off, landing on the rotten leaves on the ground.

An arrow was sticking through the man's neck. The blood from his jugular veins flowed, blocking his air passage and dripping into his lungs.

Sakura couldn't move as she watched. She was glad she was saved — some part of her even enjoyed seeing her enemy fall. Yet at the same time, the pink-haired girl could not stand watching him die so painfully. Even her Kanashibari no Jutsu did not go this far.

'Just die quickly — PLEASE!' she mentally screamed.

As if answering to Sakura's inner pleadings, another arrow sunk into the thief's skull. Brain-dead, his body dropped on the ground.

Sakura groaned. Her emerald eyes turned to her savior.

Minoru stood there, calmly lowering his bow. Potamos appeared behind the elf, already recovered and cheerful. Accompanying them was an elfin lady, her brown, braided hair reaching her waist. She had a bow and a quiver of arrows on her back, and a thin sword at her waist.

The kunoichi heaved a sigh. "Minoru-san, thank you."

"Mino-chan, that was awesome!" Potamos squealed. The water-demon gazed on the corpse with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Too back you missed at first shot, though."

"I didn't," the elf flatly stated. "Sakura-san, you held up well. You did your duty." He then turned to the elfin lady behind him, and introduced Sakura to her. "Laila, this is Haruno Sakura. Sakura-san, this is Laila of Ramah Village. She has agreed to be our guide and help us find lodging."

Sakura gulped as the lady approached. Laila was beautiful, and very wise-looking. She did not walk. She glided.

Seeing that the human girl only had some scratches and exhaustion, Laila proceeded to look over the dead thief. Her whitish-pink lips frowned slightly. She turned back to Sakura. "You are no ordinary human," Laila smoothly told her. "You lasted over twenty minutes of fighting him without being killed. Many a magical creature is fallen because of him."

'I could have killed him if I were stronger,' Sakura thought.

Laila paused, then looked back to the corpse. She closed the dead thief's eyes with her long fingers, and touched his forehead. She began to chant some words.

Minoru helped Sakura up off the ground. The girl wiped away some flecks of her opponent's blood from her face. "What is she doing?" she asked Minoru in a whisper. The kunoichi did not understand the elfin tongue, but the words sounded flowing and very sad.

"It is a blessing for beings who leave corpses when they die in the Rifts," Minoru answered quietly. "It disposes of the body, and supposedly helps the soul when it goes to the unknown."

A glowing spot formed on the thief's forehead where Laila's fingers touched. The corpse slowly faded away, until nothing was left. The man's clothing and supplies floated onto the ground. Laila put the items in a white, mesh-like bag, and then fetched the thief's fallen sword.

"Come now," she addressed to the three as she stood up, "before the mountain moves too far away from the village."

* * *

Sakura took a quick shower. It was already five in the morning when Laila led them to an inn for travelers in Ramah Village. The kunoichi slipped in her night-shirt, and dropped onto the wonderfully soft and clean bed.

"Yeay! We get to share a bed, Sacchan!" Potamos rejoiced, bouncing on the mattress.

"That's only because I ought not to share a bed with either of you," Minoru said from the other bed. 'Each for different reasons,' he mentally added. "And if you try anything funny on her, devil-child, I will kill you."

"I'm not lesbian," Potamos said, "I just love Sacchan!"

"I love you too, Potamos," Sakura said with a yawn, and curled up under the covers next to the water-demon.

Minoru's brow creased at the pink-haired girl, not at what she said, but what she was holding. "Do you always sleep with your katana, Sakura-san?" he asked.

"You never know," Sakura mumbled, holding the sheathed Tennyo protectively in her hands.

"I am glad you at least have sense to keep the scabbard on," Minoru said. "Not like others who slumber with an open knife under their pillows. They often end up with considera—"

The elf halted mid-sentence, as he noticed that the kunoichi and water-demon had already fallen asleep. He gave a wry smile, and tucked the covers in around the two. Minoru blew out the candles, and stepped to the mirror on the wall.

'I haven't done this for a while,' he thought, rolling up his sleeves. Minoru leaned towards the glass surface, and whispered an incantation to it. The reflection in the pane swirled, until all that was left was a white, faintly-glowing picture, smooth and fresh like the canvas of an artist.

He opened his cerulean eyes, and threw his fist at the mirror.

The mirror did not break upon contact. Instead, Minoru's hand, bracelet and all, passed and disappeared through the white surface, making ripples.

"It's been too long," he whispered.

* * *

Sasuke jerked out of bed. He had a nightmare about Sakura.

The dream had started innocently enough. The two of them were standing at the edge of a cliff, viewing the trees below and a breath-taking sunset. Then, Sakura was pushed off, by Sasuke himself. Just like when he shoved Naruto off the edge of a waterfall when the blond boy came to 'rescue' him from Orochimaru.

The raven-haired young man clutched his heart. It was a long time since he saw Sakura in his dreams, and he sent the letter out only yesterday. Why did his peace of mind have to deteriorate again so soon?

'No, not now,' he though. 'I carried out her wish. I was just starting to get back full concentration on training; damn it!'

(( Itachi calmly looked into the face of a tear-streaked Sasuke. "You have the same potential as I to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. There is one requirement for getting it. And that is: to kill your best friend." ))

Sasuke pushed Naruto off the waterfall alright — intending to aggravate him, or perhaps kill him by the impact of the river below. He had to convince Naruto that he was not joking around. The dual to the death afterward: Sasuke did it to get the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan, which appeared in the Uchiha clan only once every couple of centuries.

(( "So... you're serious about killing me," Naruto said, using chakra in his feet to stand on the surface of the water. His face was finally grim — not screwed up in rage and annoyance.

"Yes, I am," Sasuke stated, his face totally blank.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "All those times together... didn't they mean anything to you?" he yelled up to his ex-teammate. "Anything at ALL?"

"No... they did mean something," Sasuke answered. "You have become... my closest friend." ))

Yet Sasuke had failed to kill Naruto. He couldn't do it. He _never_ failed anything_._ He could not _afford_ to fail anything.

He had tried, and failed, to cut out his heart, to clean his mind completely of any sentimental capability. To be totally devoid of feeling in all his actions, and have the mental strength to push even a brother into the grips of torture and death. Itachi passed, and Sasuke failed. It was the same story, over and over.

Sasuke could not recall details of the duel between him and Naruto at the waterfall. Maybe it was just the intensity of the encounter.

When he thought about it longer, Sasuke realized that it was more difficult to remember exact details of events when his curse was on. It was as if Orochimaru's seal sedated him into a dream-high of power. Sasuke's concentration wavered from its influence; he did not learn any new skills afterwards, because he could not remember enough.

This was why the young Uchiha avoided using it. He admitted that during the few times he used the curse, he enjoyed sensing the extra chakra pulsing through his body. But what was the point of it if he lost control, and did not improve after the fact? He would never match up to Itachi with the seal alone — Itachi would be the strong, logical, and perfectly-calm fighter, and Sasuke would be just... strong.

'I am here with Orochimaru for his training — not for his curse,' he told himself.

Unless it was the seal that pushed him to go to Orochimaru in the first place.

But Sasuke had no time to debate on that matter. He had promised to himself after the Uchiha massacre, that he would do anything, be consumed in any darkness, to defeat Itachi.

Maybe there was another way. But he could not find it. Even if he tried, he could not find it. He was caged.

'I'm fucking trapped,' Sasuke thought as he hugged his pillow. 'I don't know when I stopped being human... And a damn part of me is still trying to resist. I don't even know what the hell I'm supposed to be resisting anymore!'

* * *

"Do elves eat nothing but wafers?" Potamos whispered in a complaining tone to Sakura and Minoru, as the three were shopping for traveling supplies in the elfin village. "I can't stand it! Health food makes me sick!"

Sakura giggled. "I agree. What we call health food at home isn't even this strict."

"For your information, only the elves which do not engage in warfare are vegetarian," Minoru said. "Our physical make-up requires less and less variety and quantity as we become older and wiser."

"And considering that you eat anything with four legs except tables and chairs... how old are you, Mino-chan?" Potamos asked.

"One-hundred-twenty," he answered. A disgusted look passed Potamos' face. "I'll last maybe two-hundred more years if I don't get killed from unnatural causes. And don't even entertain the possibility in your sick mind, devil-child: I will strike you before you even complete the first move."

"Who said I was thinking about killing you?" the purple-haired girl asked sourly.

The blond elf responded by looking directly in her yellow eyes in an accusing manner, then turning away.

The water-demon's face seemed paralyzed. 'I'd better not cross his path,' she noted to herself.

"That is so freaky... Humans rarely live half that long," Sakura said, massaging her temples. 'And in my world, people in the ANBU or Jounin-ranks usually don't last past twenty-five,' she added to herself.

"Still, don't think that having long life with youth means happiness," Minoru pointed out. "The longer you live, the more chances you have to witness and feel suffering. And if one is totally alone, without any dreams or people to look up to: every day is like an eternity of hell."

Sakura grinned up at Minoru.

"What?" he asked, looking embarrassed.

Sakura laughed. "Nothing," she replied, meaning everything.

Minoru stopped in his tracks. He looked around. "Sakura-san, have you see Potamos?" he asked. The water-demon was nowhere to be seen in the marketplace.

Sakura bit her lip. "I think we lost her."

Minoru touched his forehead. "Damnation — we have to find her, as soon as possible." Sakura prepared to jump on the roof-tops, but Minoru held her down. "No, Sakura-san, you may be shot down by the elfin guards who do not know any better."

"Oh, yeah," Sakura mumbled nervously. "But how else are we going to find her quickly before she gets herself in a fix?"

Minoru gave a frustrated sigh. "Sakura-san, I'll look in the eastern part of the marketplace, you the west. After an hour, we'll meet at the fish-vendor over there."

* * *

"What the hell — Godaime-sama!"

A woman wearing fishnet shirt and pants, with only a trench-coat and mini-skirt to cover her intimate areas ran through Konohagakure Village like a madwoman.

"Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!" Anko yelled through the streets. She grinned at the appalled looks on the faces of the normal residents. Her voice echoed between the buildings, adding, "And this ISN'T for the bathroom!"

She entered a building and went to the room where the Hokage and her assistants organized and handed out missions to teams.

Iruka cringed at Anko's dramatic and grand entrance: she kicked in the door, making it bang out of its regular place and original shape. 'Then again,' the chuunin thought to himself, 'someone has to break up the monotony of this place — Naruto is off traveling with Jiraiya.'

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the panting woman. "Already tired from your break, Anko? You still have one day of vacation."

"No, Godaime-sama, look!" The special jounin thrust a long, unrolled piece of paper in Tsunade's face. "I already read it, by the way, so it's safe."

Tsunade took it, and her mouth slightly opened at its contents. "What in the world..."

"I got it from one of my snakes," Anko explained. "I think there is a new caller for their species — I can guess well who that may be."

Tsunade pursed her lips as she read and re-read the paper. Ninja-animals never carried scrolls or letters unless they were written from the callers themselves. And this was definitely not Orochimaru's handwriting on the parchment. The Hokage got up from her seat. "Iruka, please take over from here. Anko, call Kakashi to my office immediately. I will be waiting there for him. Say that it's about THAT BOY — it might make him arrive a little earlier than he usually does."

* * *

A purple-haired girl walked through a poor-looking district in the village. "I get separated from Sacchan and Mino-chan... I don't know where I exactly am in this village, even though it looked so SMALL when we came down from the mountain... Could there be the slight possibly that I'm lost?" she asked herself.

Potamos kicked some dust as she walked through the streets. She had a little money with her, and some beads and trinkets caught her eye. 'Well, I oughtta enjoy myself while looking for Sacchan and Mino-chan,' she thought to herself. 'Besides, jewelry isn't this cheap back in Minerva...'

A gruff voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey."

Potamos turned around. Behind her stood a group of burly-looking teenagers. Their choice of clothing was rather frumpy — they were human peasants or servants, by the looks of them. Some of them were smirking at the girl, others had scowls on their faces.

The center guy, who had black hair with white highlights, addressed the water-demon. "Did you just say that you were from the mountain?" he asked.

Potamos blinked. She wanted to stick her tongue out in disgust — he was absolutely dirty — but she had agreed with Minoru and Sakura not to tick anyone off and start a fight in a village.

The gang-leader crossed his arms. Any normal girl would cower at his weekend appearance. (In other words, he worked weekdays, and was a hooligan on weekends.) But why did this purple-haired girl simply give him a weird look?

She could have answered him, or at least acted like she were deaf. Instead, this purple-haired freak stared as if she did not understand the question.

"Are you autistic or something?" he asked.

"Huh?" Potamos asked. "What's that?"

"Okay, that was something of a reaction. But you didn't answer my question." The leader breathed, and repeated slowly. "Did you just say, that you were from the mountain?"

Potamos smiled. "Of course, silly! We traveled through it!"

"We're supposed to believe that? We're not that stupid!"

Another man's face screwed in anger. "Spy for the Mountain Riders? Those cut-throats!"

"They're called the Mountain Riders?" Potamos asked, cocking her head to the side with a finger to her chin. "Makes kinda sense... Mountain Riders; as in, they ride the mountain..." The water-demon giggled.

"She's cute," one person in the back whispered, and was promptly hit in the face by another.

The black-and-white-haired man growled. "What do you want with our village? Are you asking for a fight?"

Potamos snorted. "You're the ones asking for a fight, human."

This comment brought many mumbles and whispers among the street-gang. "She must be a robber..." - "Now, she's a vampire, look at her eyes..." - "Vampires don't have cat-eyes, it's the fangs you have to look for..." - "But look at her black mantle!"

Potamos did not take this gang seriously; after all, they were only human peasants. "Who cares how many small fry there are!" she laughed in triumph, mentally indulging in the possibility of wiping a mass of idiots out, the ground soaking up their blood like a sponge.

"Why you little—"

The water-demon finally caught onto the change of atmosphere: the men had formed a circle around her. Potamos flicked out a kunai and stopped a switch-blade. Her mind was trapped in a difficult predicament: she could either choose to follow her instincts as a demon, or the orders Sakura and Minoru gave her. "I think I'm in a pinch," she moaned.

"You definitely are, you little brat!" another yelled as he attacked her, and she evaded him.

"That's not what I meant!" she shrieked. Potamos was in a fix; ten humans against her was not good when the fight took place in an elfin village. Maybe outside, she'd be okay; but these guys had CONNECTIONS with elves. If the elves found out that even one of their servants were killed by any foreign magical being in their own territory, they would stalk and shoot an arrow into the murderer — at the very least, kick them out of the village.

Potamos was using all her will-power not to actually stab or attack the men. "Oh, this is why I sometimes hate being around civilization!" she whined. "There are so many RULES!"

The girl in the red fairy-dress then reasoned to herself that if she could not break rules, then she would just have to bend them a bit. With a smirk, Potamos grabbed the wrist of one man, and pinned it to a stone wall.

The man yelled in pain: her gloved hand was freezing-cold. He then realized that he could not move his arm.

Potamos pulled away from him. The human looked at his wrist. It was locked onto the stone wall in a ring of ice. Neither could he break it with the knife in his other hand; the ice was incredibly dense.

"She's an ice-monster!" one yelled. "Get her, even if it kills you!"

Potamos shrieked.

A new voice interrupted. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

The gang turned to see who made the loud exclamation. A fair young lady with pink hair and a green traveler's cloak stood at the mouth of the ally. Her green eyes flashed angrily.

Potamos took this opportunity to run past the men and go next to Sakura. "HEY!" the gang leader yelled.

"Come on, Potamos, let's go," Sakura said quietly as she took Potamos' hand.

"Are you a demon, too, or are you just a witch?" the black-and-white-haired man asked angrily.

Sakura glared at him. "For your information, I am human, and this girl and I traveled together from over the mountain."

'Oh, no.' Potamos cringed.

Sakura rolled her eyes as one brave soul ran towards her with a knife. Before he even swung, she kicked him directly in the stomach, making him fly off and sprawl across a number of trash-cans.

The other gangsters went after Sakura; no demon-woman or witch was going to hurt their comrade so easily if they could help it.

'Damn, I angered them rather than scared them,' Sakura thought. There was no other way. Her hands quickly performed the sequence.

"I'm terribly sorry about this!" she apologized in advance.

Ten seconds later, the men found themselves screaming their heads off, and the two girls had mysteriously disappeared. The gang leader almost hyperventilated; he had never been so scared in his life. "Sorcery," he breathed.

"What is the meaning of this?" someone asked from above. The group of humans looked to the roof-top.

"Master," the human sighed. He saluted to the dark-haired elf, who was accompanied by colleagues in the Village Guard. "It's good to see you. We have a problem."

* * *

Sakura pulled Potamos through the crowd, striding quickly to get away from the servant-quarters.

"Sacchan, I'm sorry!" the water-demon squeaked.

"Not now, Potamos, let's just get away from that place." After speed-walking for a few more minutes, they turned a corner, which led them to the vendor where Sakura and Minoru agreed to meet. The kunoichi ordered two sticks of grilled fish, and walked over to the bench where Potamos sat. Sakura handed one stick to the water-demon. "Here, I know you like seafood. Eat up." The pink-haired girl sat down on the bench next to her friend. "Now tell me what happened."

Potamos nipped at the burnt tail, enjoying its salty and charcoal taste. "I... guess that this lot of bums first thought I was part of the Mountain Riders, and they attacked me," she said.

Sakura carefully chewed a piece in her mouth, and swallowed. "The Mountain Riders?" she asked.

"The gang of bandits we escaped," the purple-haired demon explained sheepishly.

"Mountain Riders, as in, to ride the mountain," Sakura snorted. "Not very original, those bandits, are they?" Potamos smiled weakly in return. Sakura paused in thought. "But why would they think you're a member of a mountain gang, when you're a girl?" Sakura pointed out. "There aren't many female bandits around; they're almost unheard of."

Potamos blinked. She had not thought of that. "You're right. I don't know. Anywho, they started attacking me with knives. I deflected their blades with my kunai, and I used a TEENSY bit of magic to freeze one guy's wrist to the wall. Then the leader with the weird hair ordered the others to do a suicide attack. That's when you came in, and used... _that_ technique, right?"

"Kanashibari no Jutsu," Sakura mused. "I think I already know this by now, but that illusionary skill borders on forbidden, so never use it lightly if you ever learn it."

Potamos grinned with a mouthful of fish. "You know, I'm still flattered that you actually used it on me during the tournament."

"Well, you were really tough!" Sakura giggled.

"Sakura-san!" someone yelled. The human and demon turned their heads to see Minoru run towards them. He then walked clean past Sakura, and grabbed Potamos by the shoulders. "Devil-child — by any chance, did you pick a fight with a group of human slaves?" he asked.

Sakura sighed, and walked to the nearest trash-bin to throw away her stick.

Potamos huffed. "They attacked ME!"

"Oh, bother." Minoru let go, and cupped his face in his hands. "Do you know that at present, the Village Guard is after what they call 'an ice-monster and a witch'?"

Sakura winced. 'I should tell him later that it was my fault, too.'

Something then caught her eye in the crowd.

In the marketplace, a dark-haired elf with cold eyes drew his bow across his shaft. The people around him recoiled. Was there such a threat in the village at this time for an elfin guard to attack someone?

Sakura's breath stopped. According to the angle of the elf's direction, he was not aiming at her — he was aiming at Minoru and Potamos.

The blond elf and the water-demon were arguing about ten meters away from Sakura, and the raven-haired elf was at least forty meters away from either of them. She would never be able to stop him with that distance.

Before giving another thought, the kunoichi put chakra in her feet in the direction towards her friends.

A slight air-whip sounded out.

Potamos felt a strong push. Then she heard a scream.

The eyes of the raven-haired elf widened.

"Sacchan!"

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura's thoughts wavered as she fell to the ground. Gasping in pain, she forced her head to turn around.

An arrow had been shot on the left side of her back.

Potamos and Minoru dropped to their knees in front of Sakura's struggling form. "Sakura-san, you shouldn't have done something so reckless!" Minoru yelled at her. That was an arrow shot by an _elf_.

"Sacchan, no!" Potamos cried out in worry and agony. "Don't die!"

Sakura shivered. She opened her mouth to say something.

"Sakura-san?" Minoru was now absolutely frantic. Sakura could not die here. Not now. "No, please, don't—"

"I... I think it's not that deep," Sakura croaked out.

Three awkward seconds passed.

"W- What?" Minoru sputtered finally. "Sakura-san, your left lung could be punctured, maybe even your heart—"

"No, I'm serious..." Sakura studied the angle of the arrow in the corner of her eye. She then grabbed it with her left hand, and pulled it out in one, clean yank.

Everyone watching the self-operation flinched.

"Fuck, that REALLY hurt," the kunoichi groaned. Yet as she examined how much blood covered the arrow, it was certain to her that only about a centimeter had penetrated her flesh. 'The guy's bow must have been dysfunctional,' she guessed.

The kunoichi stood up. "Minoru-san, guard Potamos."

She stomped angrily to the guard, despite the fact that her wound was still fresh. Minoru was so shocked that he did not even bother to stop her.

"Why the HELL did you do that?" she finally demanded, glaring in the guard's face.

The raven-haired elf stood quiet, studying her intently.

Sakura continued to rant. "Being part of the Village Guard gives you no right to just... just _shoot_ people in the marketplace! For your information, Potamos did nothing, and it was the other guys who—"

The tall, dark-haired elf bowed to her.

This silenced Sakura immediately. An elf performing such a gesture to a human was definitely not something that happened on a regular basis. She had no idea what to say.

Sakura felt extremely strange. And she realized that it was not only because of embarrassment. She looked at her hands, which were glowing with a rosy-colored chakra. As her eyes trailed down, she realized that her enter body was emitting a slight, pink glow.

The kunoichi nervously bit her lip. So this was what made the people stare. The rosy chakra faded away.

Minoru cleared his throat. "Um... yes... let's go, Sakura-san. We need to get that wound examined and healed."

* * *

Notes:

"Godaime" – Fifth.

"...you eat anything with four legs except tables and chairs" – this comment basically means that Minoru has no religious or moral restrictions eating any kind of food. This is an ancient joke and prejudice that the Japanese have for the Chinese: 'The Chinese eat anything with four legs — except tables and chairs.' Before the Meiji Restoration, animals with four legs were not kosher to eat according to Buddhist beliefs. Anybody who did eat such things was considered unclean, savage, low, or foreign. This pun can be translated into English easily, as the word 'leg' also refers to both bodies and furniture.


	32. Aura and Personalities

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 32: Aura and Personalities

* * *

Sakura was certainly thankful for her skills as a ninja, no matter how basic they were. They at least helped her avoid crowds.

The elves of the village remained aloof like they always did, saying that it was merely a love-angel passing by. Yet this piece of information spread like wild-fire: after Sakura's back was examined and healed, she and her two companions had to sneak away from the hospital to avoid the mob of curious people. Not only peasants, but also witches and wizards wanted her meet her. A love-angel had not been seen for decades in the Rifts.

Minoru slammed the door of their room at the inn, and locked it. "I think we're going to have to leave early in the morning, Sakura-san. Under cover of night would be best."

"I know, I know..." Sakura sighed in her pajamas. She was not in a good mood, as the elf had refused to talk with her ever since that arrow fiasco happened. "Minoru-san, why haven't you answered any of my questions?"

"I told you, I don't exactly know," the elf shot back. "Will you simply give me a moment?" He strode towards the mirror, and mumbled some incantations. Potamos watched curiously as the mirror turned into a blue screen. "Is Love-Angel Salvia in order?" Minoru asked into the mirror.

"One moment, please," a woman's voice answered. The screen blinked a few times, and Scarlett appeared in the surface.

"Scarlett-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. "Minoru-san, what—"

"It is sort of like what humans call a telephone. The only difference is that it uses magic through smooth surfaces." Minoru turned back to the mirror, and saluted to Scarlett. "Salvia-sama, Sakura-san wants to ask a few questions about aura."

"In other words, what the _hell_ am I?" Sakura asked bluntly. "One moment I am radiating green aura, and the next pink! It's like my chakra nature is transforming!"

"Hold it, hold it," Scarlett soothed. "Tell me what happened. Start from the beginning."

* * *

- To the Haruno residence of Konoha,

Haruno Sakura is safe. She also passes a request: do not go looking for her. -

Kakashi laid the piece of paper back on Tsunade's desk.

"Well?" Tsunade asked.

"Sasuke's handwriting, in Lightning Country ink, on Wind-Country papyrus paper," Kakashi intelligently answered. "He took every precaution to make sure we didn't know where he was."

"Very good, Kakashi — you're not losing your touch," the Hokage mused. "But we already figured that out before you came here. I want your opinion of the _content_ of the data presented, as you know Sasuke better than anyone."

Kakashi thought the matter through. "Maybe Sakura is having a life of extravagance and bliss somewhere," he suggested with a smile. Tsunade's face darkened. "I'm kidding, Hokage-sama. Seriously, though — although this letter gives us little in intelligence matters, there are a few details that help us. Let's presume that Sakura is still in this world, like any human. Based off this letter, we know a few things."

He ticked off the observations. "Number one: Sakura is _not_ with the Sound. If she were, there is no reason for them to directly feed us information that she is still alive. It would be easier and more convenient to pass on information to the ANBU that her dead body was found in a battleground or ditch.

"Number two: Sasuke is still himself. He still has a feeling of obligation towards Sakura, and this letter's existence is proof. This may be biased of me as his former teacher—"

"I believe you," Tsunade interrupted. "You know him, after all. And I know how strong your team's friendship was. But is there anything else?"

"Number three," Kakashi continued, "from the way Sasuke wrote the letter, it looks like Sakura has not joined a dangerous organization, like the Akatsuki. If she did get herself in a fix, Sasuke would have figured out immediately and told us, either in a burst of anger at her rebellion, or worry for her safety. He's an avenger. He has a clear and specific goal of justice in his mind, and will avoid hurting the innocent unless they're directly in his way."

"Let's take out the psychology, though," Tsunade interrupted. "How did _he_ spot her, when no other ninja has?"

Kakashi thought deeply for a while. "Maybe she's working in a brothel, and Sasuke met her there?" he said. "I was only joking, Hokage-sama," he quickly added.

"I'll just pretend you never said that," Tsunade said. "Well, at least we know Sasuke's still in his right mind. But we can't put our hopes too high. I don't know how long Sasuke can last under Orochimaru's influence."

"I understand."

"The patience of that perverted bastard easily wears thin. He's probably keeping Sasuke until the boy develops the Mange Sharingan — or worse, the Mangekyou Sharingan, which only Itachi has completed." The Hokage took the paper, and rolled it up. "In any case, I want you to deliver this to the Harunos in person. They're the ones who deserve to know. Sasuke did a crappy job of giving information of where Sakura is, but maybe he did not have much data to begin with."

Kakashi stuck the scroll into one of his vest compartments, bowed to Tsunade, and left the office.

The silver-haired man jumped across the rooftops of Konoha, greeting his friends on guard-duty as he passed them. 'Sasuke, what are you playing at?' he thought in frustration. 'Hurry up and bust that joint if you really want to defeat Itachi. And Sakura... I pray that the gods protect you.'

* * *

Scarlett's laughter echoed through the mirror and into the room. It was good that Minoru put a soundproof spell on it before he activated the telecommunications system.

The kunoichi twitched. Her own teacher was LAUGHING at her. Didn't the angel realize how frightening this was for her student?

"Oh, Sakura." The red-haired angel chuckled. "This is a very normal thing, that people to have two extremes between dark and light. Even I have something of that sort. Whenever I'm angry, I radiate red chakra. I could radiate white chakra, if I wanted to, but that's more for healing. Both are angelic, but that doesn't mean they have the same intentions!"

"But I only saw you only with red chakra during kendō practice!" Sakura exclaimed.

"That's because I'm a BITCH when I have a sword!" her teacher returned with equal force.

Minoru's eyebrow twitched. He appeared to be fighting back laughter. Potamos, in contrast, shivered as she heard the lecture of Scarlett, better known as the legendary love-angel Salvia. 'That angel is scary...'

Scarlett shook herself off. "Sorry about that. But the truth is, Sakura, you're more like a human with special magic abilities. There are half-angels and half-demons around who never evolve into a full-fledged celestial — but they have a better chance to specialize in magic within those elements, as humans. If you are the ancestor of a celestial, it somehow is easier to specialize in a specific category of spells, rather than spread out like regular magicians or wizards. Celestials can pass their elemental powers to their children and their children's children. As long as the gene remains in the descendant, that person always feels more comfortable with that element."

"So... basically, I am still human, only that I am more capable with wind-based jutsu than any other elemental techniques," Sakura mumbled. She remembered that the Uchiha clan was noted for their fire-style techniques. That could have been a genetically inherited trait as well, even though Sasuke had to practice _a lot_ before he achieved them. It could also have been just a solid tradition in the family.

"But what kind of chakra am I supposed to radiate _normally_?" Sakura asked frantically. "Blue? Green? Pink? ...RAINBOW?"

Minoru interrupted with a slight cough. "May I... say something for a moment?" he politely asked. "Sakura-san, the truth is, aura varies according to what feeling you have. The purest form of aura is blue, when you are calm and collected. That is why blue is said to be a soothing hue. Yet aura can change color when you put a different element or a particular feeling with it."

"So, why can't Sacchan put as much of her pink angel-energy in her sword?" Potamos asked hesitantly. "It's obvious the pink is the nicer one. She saved me with it."

"I think it's more a matter of psychology than genetic make-up," Scarlett observed, lifting a finger to her chin. "Sakura, you are associating your blade, Tennyo, with death and destruction — which is perfectly fine, as it is a weapon. Because of that, you are more comfortable in channeling demon-power through the sword, which manifests itself as a green. You can only use your angelic aura when you believe it is for a good and pure cause."

"Although, Sakura-san," Minoru intoned with warning, "you will not be so lucky if you cover Potamos, or anybody, again with your life. That incident in the marketplace was just another Awakening you had, a burst of aura that was locked up for thirteen years. That was the only reason you lived after being shot by an elfin arrow: the aura was large enough to slow it down. Now you will have to control it to make use of it."

Sakura's head dropped with slight disappointment. She had been wishing that there was a wall of chakra she could make just by using emotion. Yet feeling, by itself, was only one piece of the puzzle in finding her true abilities.

Scarlett smiled. "Don't feel so down, Sakura. I am amazed with how much you've grown over the past seven months. Your ability to learn and adapt is amazing."

"Thank you, Sensei," the kunoichi answered, a hint of a smile lightening up her face. "I feel a little better, now that you've explained things to me."

"Oh, one more thing, Sakura," Scarlett added, before she hung up. "Do you sometimes have the inkling that you are... schizophrenic?"

The elf and the water-demon looked confused. Both Inner and Outer Sakura jumped. "What do you mean?" the kunoichi asked nervously. **'How DOES she do that?'**

"Angel Lily told me. She kind of is the psychic in our angel-team," Scarlett casually replied. "She also sensed that you were concerned about it for a long time. In truth, it is nothing strange or abnormal. All of us have an inner voice. It just seems like yours is louder because it has no way of expressing itself. As you gain more experience in fighting, it will be less of an 'inner' thing, whatever that is." The love-angel gave a sly grin. "Keep your guard on at all times, and enjoy yourselves in the Rifts." With those parting words, Scarlett disappeared. "Ciao!" her voice echoed as the spell broke apart.

Sakura remained frozen on the bed. "Well... There goes the last of MY privacy," the pink-haired girl grumbled. **'Damn.'**

A long silence ensued in the room. Minoru began straightening out his supplies, and checking his knives, quietly.

"Owie!" Potamos whined.

Minoru and Sakura looked up. "Potamos, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, partially in alarm.

Potamos had just pricked her finger on a needle, in attempting to sew up the hole in Sakura's dress — just one result of the arrow. The water-demon felt so guilty about the incident that she wanted to make up for it in some way. "It's okay, Sacchan, I've done this millions of times before!"

The elf walked over to Potamos. "Take off that glove," he ordered.

"Why?" she demanded. "I'm not stripping for you!" Sakura nearly feel off her bed, and Minoru made a disgusted face.

The elf held up a tiny, dried leaf for Potamos to see, as well as a clean sewing set. "That needle you are using is rusty, and you could get SICK from its bite. This herb will detoxify the substance. And here's a new sewing kit for you."

Sakura and Potamos gaped at him. Minoru, being polite to the water-demon?

"Devil-child, I am doing this because we have to come to civil terms, for Sakura-san's sake." The elf wanted to die as he noted the expressions of shock on his companions. Minoru was throwing all his pride as an elf away. Yet he had to at least TRY this. Success in making friends with this demon would eliminate on of the loop-holes in his sixth sense, which had already been bypassed several times. "Or would you rather be called by something else, other than 'devil-child'?" he asked, bending a scowl into something of a half-smirk.

Potamos remained silent for a moment. "You... can call me that if you want," she answered finally. Her face turned into a grin. "I liked it from the start, actually. It's really cute, and WICKED!"

Sakura giggled. 'Maybe there's hope after all.'


	33. Siblings

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Lady-Light-san: that was not a bad suggestion at all.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 33: Siblings

* * *

"They're still there?"

"Indeed. Outside section A, otherwise known as the 'front door'."

"What do we do?"

"Skip Plan B. Commence C."

"Roger!"

Within three seconds, Sakura, Minoru and Potamos jumped out of the window, and carefully climbed down the wall. They had paid the innkeeper in advance, so it was not as if they were running out on the tab. The three sleeked through the bushes, careful to avoid the people keeping watch over the inn. Some of them were not even guards, which was the sole reason the traveling party left at three in the morning. Many of the villagers tried to bribe the innkeeper to tell them where the 'love-angel' was (a few of them were priests), but he was clueless. The poor man eventually had to kick them out of the tavern, saying that they were scaring away customers.

"Fanatical gits," Sakura muttered. "Some even wanted a lock of my hair."

"I don't think that's because they wanted a holy blessing, Sakura-san."

"Huh? What?" Sakura honestly had no clue about the romantic concept of the 'lock of hair', because she never grew up with it in the Shinobi World. Potamos grinned at her pink-haired friend in a teasing manner. "Am I missing something?" the kunoichi asked, highly annoyed.

"Never mind," Minoru sighed.

* * *

(( (Fifty years ago, Frida Village)

A cloaked person slipped through the gates. It was nearly four in the morning. A few strands of reddish, pink hair escaped her hood, and she quickly put them back. If one could see very carefully, her eyes were a sea-foam green.

Her step was unsure, but brave. She was running away.

God, she hated them. She hated everyone in the village, human and elf. There were a few exceptions, such as her father, her brothers, and the human maid of the house. She felt very bad for leaving her loved ones behind, but she just couldn't take it anymore. Besides, she was thoroughly convinced that she could survive on her own. Her brothers taught her in the sword, and her magic skills rivaled that of a pure-blood elf. Experience in herbs and medical alchemy would sell well in the free human villages, maybe even the dwarf caves, if she could find them. She would have to work, yes, but it was what she wanted to do. Earn one's own money, and survive. Not depend on others who kept you because of pity.

The girl was a half-elf. She looked around thirteen or so, but she was really twenty-five years old. In cases of maturity, she could have placed at ten years old — after all, she thought that bolting with only a sword and magic would get her through the forest. Being the youngest and only girl in a well-endowed family, she was rather spoiled and protected by her older siblings. (In fact, she forgot to pack a purse for this journey, as she hardly ever carried one of her own in the village.)

Yet even her family could not shield her from the emptiness she felt. Whenever she walked into a street, the elves acted as if they did not see her. The humans were worse: they glanced away, and quietly edged away from her, as if she were a ticking time bomb. To them, she might as well have been a super-human ready to test her powers on the lower beings. Half-elves were known to be more reckless and careless with magic than their wise relatives.

The only true kindness she received was from her father and brothers. Now, she barely ever saw them because of their duties in the village; they were not children anymore. The only one who stayed around in the house with her was Minoru, the youngest son. He tutored her how to mix magic with herbs — the science of medicinal alchemy — and even helped her with her own garden outside. He never pitied her, which made her trust in him all the more.

'Minoru-oniisan... I'm sorry, but I have to do this.' The girl strode through the forest, swiftly and quietly.

A screech echoed through the trees. She froze in fear.

Silence. The half-elf then decided to walk faster. Pretty soon, she was running. Someone, or some_thing_, was after her, even though only the sound of her pants and the crunch of leaves resounded in her faintly-pointed ears.

She trotted down, slowing down to a walk. 'I'm being silly,' she thought. 'I'm seeing imaginary things.' She stopped to rest for a moment — she leaned against a tree, her forehead touching its sweet-smelling bark.

The girl turned around. A tall being hovered over her. She gasped and was about to side-step, but long arms went around her shoulders and trapped her to the tree.

"Who are you?" it hissed. From the tone of the voice, the being must have been a male, even though his long hair grew past his shoulders.

She aimed a punch at his face, but he caught it and threw her on the ground. He was incredibly strong, maybe even stronger than an adult elf. He held one hand to her stomach while she struggled to get away. The half-elf pulled out a dagger and stabbed him in the chest, directly in the heart.

The man did not scream. He did not so much as flinch.

"That won't work on me," he grunted. With the other hand, he cleanly slid the steel blade out of his gut. The wound quickly began to renew itself. His black eyes glinted at the half-elf, and she gulped.

It was bizarre that she seemed to have forgotten how to use any magic at all — in fact, she _couldn't_. This area was sealed by some sort of undead force. As she gathered her logical skills together, she realized: only one type of magic would work for this creature — wood-type — and she had no talent in it whatsoever. Not that anyone would blame her; obtaining life-force was difficult in itself.

She was in deep, deep trouble. "Oversized bat," she growled, determined not to show fear. "Cursed—"

She could not finish her second insult, for the vampire sank his fangs into her neck.

Instead of shrieking like any normal girl, she whimpered. The half-elf felt paralyzed. Although it stung where he bit her, it felt kind of... nice. She did not have such intimate contact with a man before.

'Odd,' the living corpse thought, 'she doesn't scream or struggle like the rest of my victims.'

Yet he could not finish his meal: his curved teeth began to burn with pain from her skin, and he withdrew with an angry hiss. "ELF!" he growled. "No wonder!" Elves were one of the few folk on which vampires could not feed; there was a natural defense just under their skin against undead beings. He would not have been surprised if drinking her blood would make him sick for a whole month.

"_Half_-elf," she corrected, pushing the hood and dark-pink hair away to reveal slightly-pointed ears. She nursed the wet puncture marks with her fingers.

The girl did not get up, even though the vampire had ceased all physical contact with her a few seconds ago. Instead, she studied the dark man. It was hard to decipher his facial features — there was a crescent-moon tonight, so there was not much light — but his hair was a beautiful raven-black. From the hollowness of his face, he looked very pale and hungry, as if he had not fed for months. 'Are there no deer in these parts this time of year?' she wondered.

'Half-elf. So that's why it did not hurt at first,' he realized. He rolled his eyes in frustration. He probably wouldn't get sick — her blood was renewing, strengthening. It was better than that of normal humans. Yet he was not willing to bite her again; it hurt his teeth too much.

"Aren't you going to finish me off?" she asked quietly, almost expectantly. She lay on the ground, her beautiful white neck exposed. There was a tiny part of her that wanted to be killed; she felt so miserable in the village. The ward of the village elder, killed by a vampire — that would show the villagers. It was better than suicide, which was considered a sin among elves and humans alike. It was more honorable to die at the hands of a vampire.

His eyes narrowed as he studied her pale, green eyes. He sighed briefly, and leaned into her.

She tensed, not expecting such a bold move — 'Is he a masochist?' — and he gently licked the remaining drops of blood clean off her smooth skin. His tongue was cold and disgusting, like a slug. The maneuver chilled her in the mind, but her heart felt strangely warm.

"Don't get wounded again," he whispered in her ear, "or you will attract others of my race. I don't know whether I will die after this."

"Good riddance," she snorted, coming out of her trance. "You're a living death, anyway."

The vampire let out a snarl. "Is it your sick hobby to walk around in the middle of the night and throw insults to my kind?" His fist bunched into the soggy ground, crumpling the soft, wet leaves. "I could kill you so easily with my hands alone."

"I'm running away, okay?" the half-elf mumbled irritably. She blinked — she wanted to cry out in shame, but she was too proud to do that in front of a vampire.

"Running away?" he scoffed. "What, is your family that bad?"

"My family is excellent, thank you very much!" she hotly replied. "A father, and three brothers. It's just that there are a lot of people in town who just..." The girl hesitated, realizing that she was pouring out all her frustrations to a vampire. "Well — they hate me. That's why I'm leaving."

The vampire glared at her. "You want to be the village goddess?"

"No, I mean, I..." Her sentence finished lamely.

"Is your family abusive?" he interrogated further.

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "I told you already! My father and brothers love me!"

He glowered at her. "Why run away then?" He usually was not the type to lecture. But the experience of being undead taught a person a lot about life. He hated it when normal people wallowed in their own despair. "Go home," he ordered simply. "I can see that your experience in magic is not strong enough to survive alone." He turned away, leaving her sitting in the wet ground. "You didn't even notice the force-field when you walked into it, _fifty_ strides away."

"You're not my father," she growled.

He gave her a weird look. The girl realized that she must have looked stupid sitting on the ground, her arms crossed like a spoiled brat. She missed the hint of sadness in his black eyes.

"You won't know exactly how important your siblings are," the vampire whispered, "until you lose them. Go home." With a sweep of his black coat, he morphed into a bat and flew away.

The half-elf sat quietly on the ground, thinking. She then got up, brushed herself off, and turned back in the direction she came from.

'I didn't even find out his name.' ))

* * *

Naruto sighed as he browsed through the bookstore, while Jiraiya was shopping for the said item. This was so humiliating. The toad-sennin was shopping with him for a book on puberty! Well, it was partly Naruto's own fault. But he would have felt a lot more comfortable if one of his other mentors bought it for him. Tsunade would have been better, or Iruka. Definitely not Kakashi or Jiraiya.

(( "OOOWWW!" Naruto howled.

Jiraiya stood above the crouching genin with a vase. He was only two hours away from his pupil, and he came back to find the boy intently reading the rough drafts of his work. "What were you THINKING, boy? How dare you look at my manuscripts! They're the prototypes for my next series! Plus, you're not old enough!"

Naruto touched the large bruise forming on top of his head. "I was just curious..." Jiraiya stuffed the notebooks back in their original places in his bag. He did not blame Naruto for snagging a peek at an adult novel. After all, Jiraiya began to peep in bathhouses at a much younger age than thirteen.

What made the old man very upset was what Tsunade would say about this, if she ever found out. She would want his head; that's what she would say! The author of Icha Icha Paradise and Icha Icha Violence, handing out his books to minors: it would cause a scandal. It would double his sales, yes... But the Fifth Hokage would kill him! And plenty of uptight parents in Konoha would rally behind her.

Jiraiya thought the matter through. What was the best cure for a curious boy in the initial stages of puberty?

Naruto gulped. The master coughed to deliver his judgment. "Boy, I want to tell you something about adult books like these," he said. "They are written to give people a story and remind them of their youth — it is NOT real. Actually, a few times it is, but for—"

"I know, I KNOW," Naruto mumbled.

"Besides, you probably don't understand half of the words in it."

"Mmm." The blond teen wanted to evaporate on the spot.

"That is why, if you want to learn about sex in more accurate terms... I recommend a different book. And Tsunade will kill me if I did otherwise." ))

"Naruto-kun?"

The blond teen turned around, and jumped at who was there: Hinata.

"Oh, Hinata-chan, how's it going?" Naruto was looking over his shoulder, trying to figure out a way of how to hide Jiraiya. 'Wait a sec, that won't work; Hinata-chan has the Byakugan! That means she knows he's here, too...' If he wanted to evaporate before, now he wished to sink into a puddle, AND THEN vaporize into the atmosphere. "Um, uh... What are you doing here?" he asked in an awkward manner.

Hinata blushed crimson. "Well, uh..." Little did she know that Tsunade took her here for the exact same reason Naruto was here.

"Hinata, I've got the books!" a familiar voice called. Tsunade's head popped around the corner. "Naruto, I hope that Jiraiya's taking care of you."

"Baachan!" Naruto exclaimed. "Yeah, I'm learning lots! I think..."

"Hinata has just become one of my medical apprentices," Tsunade explained. "She's... growing up, so to say."

'Tsunade-sama, please don't tell him, please don't tell him!' The Hyuuga girl wanted to die — she and Tsunade were the only souls who knew that her first period came the previous night.

"Like you, Naruto, she's taking a sort of study-leave before she takes the Chuunin exams again," Tsunade said. "She's very good with making medicine!" 'And I will try put you together on the same team,' the inner recesses of Tsunade commented evilly. 'Man, I love playing the match-maker!'

* * *

Sakura, Minoru, and Potamos walked through a grassy plain. It was cloudy, yet the sky was bright enough to light the grasses, waving in the soothing breeze. Sakura noted the smell of lilacs in the wind.

"Minoru-san, do you have any family?" she asked, in a moment of curiosity.

Minoru was startled by Sakura's sudden question. "I have a father — and two older brothers," he answered calmly. "All of them are guards in my home village."

"No women?" Potamos asked.

"My mother disappeared," Minoru replied. "And I had a little sister once."

Sakura froze. "You mean —"

"She died," the elf quickly explained. "In battle."

It was clear that he did not want to speak about it further. He was not ready. Sakura respected the following silence. Potamos blinked, and nervously turned away — this did not escape Sakura's notice. 'She must have lost someone, too," the kunoichi thought. Once again, she felt rather left out, even though it was something nobody should wish to be part of.

(( "His upbringing was wrong!" Sakura pointed out. "You know, he doesn't have either of his parents!"

Sasuke froze, and his eyes turned hard.

Sakura didn't notice, and continued: "He's always selfish, and can do whatever he wants! If I did stuff like that, I would get scolded! It must be nice to be alone; not getting yelled at by your parents... That's why he's so selfish."

Sasuke had to give the solid facts; Sakura was so clueless. His voice turned harsh. "Loneliness... you can't compare it to the level of being scolded by your parents."

Sakura blinked at the sudden coldness in his expression. "Wha— what's the matter, all of a sudden?" she hesitantly asked.

"You are _annoying_." ))

The pink-haired girl had not yet experienced a close death in the family. Yet she imagined it many times. Often as a small child, she used to wonder what it would be like if her parents died. A few nights, she even wept by the mere thought of it; children's imaginations could become very emotional and graphic. And sometimes — in the privacy of her own room, of course — she would shed silent tears for other people's dead parents, even if she never knew them personally. She cried, wishing that somehow, in doing so, would help ease their own pain.

'But how would that help?' Sakura thought with a shake of her head. 'I was so naïve, and I still am... I remember how Sasuke chastised me for criticizing Naruto...' Sakura thought to herself. 'And the day after that, during Kakashi's bell-test...'

(( "Uh, I mean, there's not much more time. We don't have to push too hard this time, we can do better next time..."

Sakura's awkward attempts at conversation were interrupted with a dark glare from Sasuke. She clamped her mouth shut. He turned away, and Sakura looked down in shame.

His voice finally broke the silence. "Only I can kill him."

Sakura was taken aback with this sudden announcement. "Huh... what? You mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

"That time... I cried..."

"You... cried?" she quietly repeated. Sakura could not imagine Sasuke crying — he always looked so calm and collected. Moreover, why would a twelve-year-old boy admit that he was one to cry? Was it something so serious?

Sasuke seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts. "My..."

Nervous beads of sweat formed on Sakura's brow. "What... what are you talking about!" she asked, her voice quavering. ))

'I wish I could have helped them while I was still there,' Sakura thought.

Minoru tensed. "Beasts!" he hissed. Sakura jolted back into the real world, and looked up.

There was a tree-patch a hundred meters away from where they stood in the grass. About the trees were slinking a number of creatures, similar to mountain lions — except that they had purple fur. Their black claws seemed to grow thicker and longer as they jumped onto the ground.

"A pride of manticores!" Potamos' yellow eyes shined. "They're so beautiful, running towards us..." She rubbed her hands together. "Let's kill 'em."

Ten manticores bounded towards them at unnatural speed. The elf pulled an arrow across his shaft, and shot one of the animals in the head.

Sakura's hands made the sequence, and released the spell. 'Kanashibari no Jutsu!' One froze in its tracks, while the rest of the pride seemed unaffected.

"They have aura defenses, don't they!" Sakura exclaimed. She had made that jutsu to go on three of the creatures, but it only made an impact on one of them. Casting the jutsu effectively on magical beings was much harder to do than on normal animals or humans.

"Yes, but use your green aura!" Minoru urged. "They fear demon power!"

"Yeay!" Potamos cheered. The water-demon grinned in excitement as she cupped her hands, forming a ball of water. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..." she cooed.

"Don't use Hidden Mist, devil-child; they can smell us!" Minoru warned Potamos. He let another arrow fly. It went directly into one manticore's eye-socket, making the animal howl in pain.

"I know!" Potamos yelled as she threw the ball of water, putting another monster off-course. "We've got to WHAM them down right away — Sacchan, watch out!"

The snarling animals were coming closer, and Sakura found herself surrounded by four manticores. 'Four — that's perfect,' Sakura thought. Her hands flicked together, and Tennyo slid out of its scabbard. The blade glowed a bright, emerald green.

"Junpuu no Shihougiri!" (Four-directional Cut of the Fair Winds)

The manticores that had surrounded Sakura were thrown away like rag-dolls from her. Each one was wounded with a long, shallow cut. They got up carefully, and shook their heads.

The pink-haired kunoichi held up the glowing Tennyo in a threatening manner. The wild-cats snarled, but grudgingly trod away in defeat.

Potamos wrinkled her nose. " 'Four-directional cut'?" she asked Sakura incredulously. " 'Of the fair winds'! What kind of nancy-name is that?"

"The 'Shihougiri' is an iaidō move, and I just added some wind-power with it," Sakura said, panting. She cleared her throat. "Just so you'd know, Potamos, it's also called 'Akumabarai' — demon-cutting. You want me to call it THAT instead?" **'And use it on you?'**

"I wanted to kill them!" Potamos argued, missing the implied threat. "Your attack just pushed them and scared them away with scratches!"

"You already killed one, devil-child. That was enough," Minoru said as he walked over. "Besides, we only had to deter them from us, and it is to our disadvantage to obliterate them. If manticore are hunted too much, too many deer would wander around and eat the crops and vegetation."

"SO?" Potamos whined.

"You won't have any fresh vegetables later, is what I'm saying," Minoru said. "No mint tea. Learn some ecology along with martial arts, why don't you?"


	34. Trolls and Tengu

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I do not own "The Princess Bride." I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Actually, I already had an entire scene about a unicorn planned out — wow, some readers must be PSYCHIC, I tell you! It'll be later in the story, I promise. (I'll explain the lock-of-hair idea in the next chapter.) As for the strange flashback with the half-elf and vampire, it will help in understanding Minoru a lot more.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 34: Trolls and Tengu

* * *

Potamos jumped over a few rocks. Minoru and Sakura were out sparring, and so the water-demon was left alone to do what she liked, as long as it was nothing dangerous.

She exhaled quickly in frustration. That elf was getting very close to her beloved Sacchan — it was almost creepy in the way he treated her. Potamos first thought that Sakura had a slight crush on Minoru, which she was perfectly fine with. Some part of the water-demon even wanted them to be together. Potamos was not interested in him, anyway. And she wanted the pleasure of seeing the uptight Minoru throw his heart and soul at _someone's_ feet. 'That blondie-elf needs to get himself laid,' the demon grumbled inside. 'Maybe I should give Sacchan some pointers...'

But that pretty-boy looked at Sakura with different eyes other than romantic love or lust, much to Potamos' observation. A few times, Sakura even flirted with Minoru, and he returned them playfully. Yet nothing serious ever happened — no nervousness on either party, nor silence.

In other words, they were just brother and sister. 'I wouldn't mind if that changed,' Potamos mused to herself. 'But there's something else. Mino-chan looks at Sacchan with some sort of longing, of nostalgia... He also said something about a dead sister of his.' The water-demon plopped down. 'Maybe he thinks of Sacchan as a replacement for his dead sister. But it's common elfin philosophy not to think of relationships as a set list, like to have a boyfriend here, and best friend there, a couple of close friends there. They always say that every person is different...'

Potamos frowned she stopped in her tracks. 'But a soul is a soul, no matter how many lifetimes it may go through.' Her brow furrowed, deep in thought. 'Is it possible... that Mino-chan thinks that Sacchan is his dead sister's reincarnation?' She frowned. 'That idiot.'

A low growl sounded out from behind. The purple-haired turned around, and her yellow cat-eyes flashed at what was moving. She could identify the thing immediately.

A large mountain troll struggled to get up from a pile of rocks. Rocks which Potamos had just walked over.

'My feet touched THAT icky thing?' she screamed inside in disgust. 'And I didn't even notice? Wait a sec, that troll didn't notice me until AFTER I walked over it... Oh, man, that must mean that I'm down to its level in terms of observing surroundings...'

The monster, irritated for being woken up by a girl who kindly decided to trample over his body, reached at a large lump of rock. It turned out to be a club. The troll swung it at Potamos, much like a human trying to swat an annoying fly.

"Kya!" Potamos jumped out of the club's reach. The water-demon's shriek rung in the troll's ears, making it more grumpy than usual. It swung the weapon again, and knocked down several trees — adding more to the collection of splintered tree-stumps that Potamos failed to notice when she entered the area ten minutes ago.

The water-demon panted. There was no way she could penetrate that thick hide with her dingy kunai and shuriken. Her power over water was not advanced enough to make a strong, large weapon out of ice, like her uncle could do with spears.

"Alright, torture methods never fail!" Potamos exclaimed. She formed the illusion of a large spear in front of the troll, and 'stabbed' the monster with it.

The troll's puss-encrusted eyelids blinked. The spear was like an itch. Disregarding the illusion completely, it swung the club at Potamos again.

"You're too stupid to connect 'pain' with 'long, spiky objects'!" she exclaimed in bafflement. She jumped away from the club's path. A large crater formed in the ground. "Why am I even TELLING you this in words; you can't understand IMAGES! This is so unfair! You're so dumb, and yet so friggin' strong!"

The water-demon huffed in exhaustion and anger. Who the hell knew that illusions didn't work as well on creatures of lower intelligence? She could run, yes, but the troll was clearly following her until she was dead. It now thought of her as a play-toy; it was the game of 'swat at the girl in the fairy-dress until she's squished'.

"I oughtta have brought a real spear with me on this trip!" Potamos shrieked as she dodged another swing. She had to improvise on this; she had never battled a mountain troll before. 'C'mon... water... WATER!' A sparkling ball of the substance formed in her hands, and she threw it at the monster's eyes.

The troll paused to rub the area where the projectile hit. It grunted at Potamos, more annoyed than hurt at her measly attack.

The water-demon winced at the stench in the air. Trolls had terrible breath, as they did nothing but sleep most of the time. "Stop BREATHING!" she ordered. "You stink!" She jumped up to another boulder.

The girl stopped as something crossed her mind. "I have an idea!" she cheered. 'I have an AWFUL idea. I have a WONDERFUL AWFUL idea!" The purple-haired girl squealed in delight.

With the hit of the troll's club, the rock wall next to her collapsed.

"Okay..." Potamos shivered. " 'nuff talk, more action! You there, stop BREATHING! And I mean it!" Potamos willed a string of water to form in her hands, and she threw it towards the troll. It roped around the neck easily — the monster was slow, and Potamos had good aim. She had to be careful with the thread, for only a fine stream of chakra held the water-line together. She tugged on it, and mentally commanded it to freeze.

The troll looked confused, until it realized that something was tied around his neck — and tightened with each breath he took.

"I'm not stopping there, my pet," the water-demon purred. A surge of aura traveled from her hand to the troll's neck via the string, and his skin of his throat began to freeze, the water in his cells expanding. The cold did not stop, seeping into his flesh and respiratory track.

Potamos grinned as she heard the feint choking sounds. Eventually, not as much as a peep came out of the troll's mouth, for its vocal chords were frozen shut. The water-demon giggled evilly as the creature slumped down. "Well, there's a new way to kill something big," Potamos chirped. "As long as they're slow, anyway. I better keep that in mind."

* * *

Sakura hesitantly held up a shaft of wood, actually a roughly-and-recently hewn bokken. "I don't want to hurt you, Minoru-san," she said, grimacing at the feel of the wood in her palm. "Even if it's not an actual katana..."

"Come on, Sakura-san, I can dodge your throwing-star-objects and knives, you can at least try a piece of WOOD. This is practice." He smirked, twirling a curl of his sandy-blond hair in one of his fingers. "Or are you too intimidated by my glorious presence and impeccable technique?" he asked in an unnaturally smooth voice. He extended his hand, pretending to study his fingernails.

A vein emerged out of Sakura's neck. 'What a low tactic: making the opponent angry to make them lose their sense of judgement,' she thought. 'Effective, for some people.' She exhaled deeply, and freshened her mind. "Thanks, Minoru-san. I am more willing to hurt you now. I will do so... yet it shall be with style and intelligence."

The kunoichi immediately let out a kendō-style yell. She lunged at the elf who was still examining his hand.

A vine shot out of Minoru's wristband, and blocked the wooden sick. Sakura raised an eyebrow as she eyed the dense, make-shift weapon Minoru constructed: it resembled a dagger. "Awesome substitutes you make with your vines," she commented as she yanked her bokken away from him. She then proceeded to cut and slash. The girl kept her distance from Minoru, as she had to preserve her energy. He was good, no doubt.

Sakura ran and performed an upper-cut onto Minoru. He blocked it before the edge touched his face, and roughly pushed away — the bokken and Sakura together.

"Damn it; you're too strong!" the kunoichi exclaimed as she stumbled back.

"Not to mention lightning-fast, and _incredibly_ handsome," he said with a grin.

Sakura twitched. "I would SO LOVE to wipe that arrogant smirk off your face, right now," she mumbled.

"It reminds you of Sasuke, doesn't it?"

The words 'bull's eye' shot through both of their minds. Sakura growled. "Actually, you're worse than him, and that's saying something." She swung again, and Minoru ducked it. The kunoichi let out a full offensive on the elf.

Minoru was still smirking at the determined, yet calm, face of Sakura. It was fine and well that Sakura was growing stronger, but she still needed some superiors who kept her ego in check. Too many well-trained warriors fell before they could exercise their skills, and Minoru certainly was not going to let his pink-haired companion drop to a similar demise.

The elf jumped to a spot between two trees, and kicked off of each trunk, skipping up the bark without even using chakra in his feet. He gracefully swung up and onto a tree-branch, safely out of Sakura's reach.

"Oh, by the way," Minoru called down.

Sakura panted as she looked up. "What?"

The elf made another blunted dagger from his vines, and then threw it into his right hand. "I'm not left-handed," he said, twirling the two make-shift weapons. He jumped down from the tree, attacking Sakura.

The kunoichi moaned as she saw the incoming elf, and proceeded to block and jump away from his reach — as she only had one long bokken, she had to learn how to keep her distance as well as concentrate on how to attack. A smile tugged at her lips: Minoru was training her to fight with one sword against people armed with small, multiple weapons, such as thieves and assassins. 'That's true,' Sakura thought, 'I need to know this. If I ever become ANBU, this skill is vital...'

The elf blocked all of Sakura's attacks — she could not land a single hit on him. The kunoichi's legs buckled, and her knees hit the ground. "Okay, that's enough for today," Minoru said, throwing away his props.

Sakura blinked. "AND THE FIRST HAND IS A FEINT!" the kunoichi yelled, getting back up and running towards the defenseless Minoru. He raised his eyebrow for a split-second, before his fingers laced around the handle of Sakura's bokken, and threw her away — he kept the wooden sword for himself, but the girl went sprawling on the ground. She rolled onto her back, taking in deep breaths. "Damn, you're good," she panted. "Good that you don't let your guard down."

"That was a foul and degrading move, Sakura-san," Minoru said, playfully throwing the bokken between his hands. She grinned up at him. His blue eyes softened. "And yet I am glad you're testing me as well," he continued. "Now my hour is up for being your practice dummy."

"You blocked them all... with your daggers..." Sakura heaved in amazement and exhaustion. "You've probably had more than a century to learn that; it's not fair!"

The elf shrugged. "Actually, I started training in knife-fighting forty years ago. Your tutelage under Angel Salvia was six months, and you are unusually advanced. As if swordsmanship is in your psyche."

Something tugged the elf's consciousness. Something dumb and stupid was after Potamos. 'Don't you die on us, devil-child,' Minoru thought. 'I know that _even you_ can handle something like that.' He then went back to concentrating on Sakura.

The elf watched the kunoichi as she knelt down to re-strap her left sandal, which had come undone with the last twisting move she performed.

"You're like my sister, in many ways," he said.

Sakura looked up, startled. "Your sister?" She hoped she wasn't treading on forbidden ground; this was Minoru's sister who died in action.

"We weren't blood-related," Minoru said. "She was the ward of the family. After my mother disappeared, my father found a half-elf wandering around with no family, and we took her in. The two of us were particularly close." The blond elf smiled. "She was also good with a sword. Not a katana, mind you — a normal, straight blade was what she used — but she was good. She could take down any man in the village, whatever race they were."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, hoping that it would make him feel better.

"It's all right," Minoru answered. A slight touch of nostalgia was in his blue eyes as he looked at Sakura. "It's nice to talk about it."

Minoru felt a chill. His blue eyes were wide as they seemingly gazed into nothingness. He realized that the certain, stupid being after Potamos was still fighting her, and she couldn't handle it.

A large battle-roar echoed through the trees.

Sakura coughed. "I... think we should check on how Potamos is going with her magic practice." Minoru took off, faster than the kunoichi expected. She hurriedly followed him.

The elf slowed down, after he ran for about a minute. 'The blood-lust is gone,' he realized. 'She must have killed it.' He then stopped, dazzled at the sight which met his eyes. "Devil-child... you..." Sakura came up behind him, panting.

The water-demon with curly purple hair stood on top of what looked like a large, white boulder. But as Sakura looked more closely, she saw that it was a frost-covered, humanoid, fat something. She could identify few physical features: an ugly, massive head, with eyeballs bulging out of their sockets, and a great set of brown teeth.

It was a frozen troll.

Potamos wiped the sweat from her brow, but she grinned and wiggled her nose. "What'ya think? Pretty spiffy, ne?" She kicked the earlobe of the troll, and a piece of icy flesh crumbled away. Sakura clutched her stomach, feeling a little queasy at the sight.

Minoru crossed his arms, and chuckled, much to Sakura's amazement. "You froze the water inside his cells, instead of taking the water from the atmosphere and attacking. The concept of efficiency has worked to your advantage."

"Yup! I started on his throat, but I worked the rest, thinking it a waste not to practice my new freezing skill on something already dead." Her chest shot out with pride. "I call it, the 'Refrigerator of Death'!" the water-demon announced. She giggled at the disgusted look Minoru gave her, and the sigh Sakura exhaled. "Don't worry, I'll find a cooler name, once I find a dictionary in a village."

"Yes, please do, because putting the word 'Death' into an attack has been done too many times," Sakura said. "Very cliché and out of style."

Minoru turned to Sakura, giving her an incredulous look. " 'Style' ?"

"Well, it's true!" Sakura exclaimed.

Potamos pointed behind her. "Speaking of village, I think there's one in that cave — the troll I was fighting knocked a side of this rock down, but it turned out to be hollow." She pointed at a burning torch in the hole. "You think that maybe that's a lost dwarf cave or so? They still seem to be in session; they probably were just hiding until the troll went away."

Minoru dug out his map, and pulled it open. Sure enough, where they stood on the map was a historical dwarf-cave, although the updated information said that it was out-of-order.

A loud cheer echoed from inside the cave. "The troll is slain! A hero has come and saved us!" someone rejoiced.

Potamos bit her lip, while Minoru and Sakura were smirking at her. The water-demon had a feeling she was going to get _a lot_ of unwanted attention that night.

* * *

A man in a long, heavy cloak brushed away his black bangs. Just under his cheekbones were two lines, showing tiredness and the experience of battle. The handsome man lightly touched the straw-hat on his head, making the wind-chimes on it ring with serenity. He had felt little peace in his life, experiencing much violence and death, and he was about to get an addition load of it soon — he could feel it. And it would be more supernatural than he usually preferred. His hat tilted slightly to reveal Sharingan eyes, with three black teardrops in each red orb.

"Thinking about your relations again, are you?" a voice drawled from above. "Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi glanced upward impassively, only to meet the eyes of a tengu — a creature with the body of a man, but the face and wings of a bird. "Don't worry, Kisame is not around," the tengu said, "Nor anybody, for that matter." He knew, of course, that Itachi knew, but he was trying to strike up some conversation with the human.

"Get to the point," Itachi said in a monotone. Deity or no deity, he liked it when others were direct and down-to-earth. "How is my little brother doing?"

"His soul is still well-protected," the tengu observed. "Yet it won't be long. He's already shown signs of cracking. I'd estimate... three months." Itachi raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, it would be SOMEWHAT ADVANTAGEOUS for you," — the tengu's voice grew increasingly sarcastic — "to SOMETIME go in there, and bust your only living relative out from that crazy bastard's clutches, HELLO!"

Itachi stared at him.

The creature clicked his beak together in frustration. So much for conversation. Most humans would be thrilled to talk with a deity. Some would even kill for a chance to see the supernatural. Well, this man performed homicide more often than the youkai in hell could keep track of, but still... "For heaven's sake, the Akatsuki is ALREADY arranging an attack! By the way, I actually can scramble a few things to make sure your oh-so-cool-image stays together, both with the organization _and_ the official ninja villages."

Itachi turned away, satisfied. "I'll think about it," he stated.

The tengu sighed, and disappeared in a whirl of black features. "Uchiha Itachi, you are a mystery," the bird-man's voice lingered, and finally faded into the beautiful silence.

'Little Brother, I will be there to save your pathetic existence,' Itachi mused. 'But even I am willing to have the heavens do a part of the dirty work. Even those from different heavens.'

* * *

Notes:

'tengu' - in Japanese myth, a tengu was a mountain goblin with the face of a human, a long nose, wings, and magical powers. Other descriptions of tengu say that they had beaks like crows. Like 'kitsune' (fox, like Kyuubi in Naruto) and 'tanuki' (racoon-dog, like Shukaku in Gaara), tengu liked to play pranks. Some stories feature tengu setting fires in Buddhist temples and starting wars. Later, there came a gradual distinction between good and bad tengu — at times, some good tengu even intructed priests in sacred rites and doctrines, and took the place as temple guardians.

About Itachi: Yes, I want to, and SHALL, use Itachi in this story and its sequel. I just want to warn the readers NOW that he might turn out a little out-of-character, because I can't figure him out — he doesn't appear in the Naruto series often enough to our liking, don't you agree? ...Okay, my eardrums just exploded from the squeals of rabid fangirls. My decision stands, whether you like it or not...


	35. Prophecy

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own the _The Complete Idiot's Guide_ Series. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 35: Prophecy

* * *

Minoru and Sakura watched from the corner of the tavern they were eating at, while Potamos was feebly attempting her first date with a human.

The young man asked a lock of her 'beautiful, violet hair', and she pulled out a kunai to fulfill the request. It scared the poor boy, setting off a storm of honey-like, malicious giggles out of the water-demon.

"What's so great about a lock of hair?" Sakura huffed, two tables down.

"Idea of chivalry," Minoru explained to Sakura. "A knight who wants to court a lady asks for small tokens and trinkets — maybe a scarf, or a cheap piece of jewelry — something to remember the girl by. A lock of hair is a particularly romantic option."

"You mean... Those guys back in Ramah Village were... hitting on me?" Sakura frowned and blushed at the same time — it was flattering, but she also was afraid that this attention would nudge her back into the preppy, foolish girl she used to be. "The... nerve of those men! And even if I did give it, what would they do with it? Something like that... is useless to own! You can't eat it, you can't do anything practical with it."

Minoru raised his eyebrow. Surely, Sakura had not lost all of her joy in romance? "Even a symbol has a practical use," he said calmly. Minoru took a gentle sip of the tavern's home-brewed mead. "A symbol is a thing, that stands for a thing — and _that's_ the thing."

The kunoichi smiled slightly behind her cup of bittersweet cocoa. She was rather... impressed. Minoru's definition was accurate and down-to-earth, yet poetic in its own peculiar way. The blond could be quite the charmer, even when he reverted into a scholar-mode for her sake.

Yet the glow wore off as the minutes ticked by. The kunoichi rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to bed. And I think Potamos is drinking something she shouldn't."

Potamos gave off an artificial shriek of laughter two tables down, clutching a particularly large (and suspicious-looking) mug.

Minoru sighed as he got up from his seat. "Time to save the both of them," he grumbled.

Sakura then heard him mutter something along the lines of, "I need to see a mirror." The pink-haired kunoichi shook her head, mentally noting that the elf might have a bigger ego than she had presumed.

* * *

A thunder-demon with long, blue hair tapped his fingers on the table. There was an ancient book opened out in front of him. There was the prophecy, clear as day.

Din wondered how Momoko and Yousuke could ignore this. He cursed Angel Salvia's lack of judgment when she helped Sakura in bringing out her aura. And Sakura — the little tramp of a kunoichi — was clueless to what trouble she was.

When Sakura was born, Din was one of the few demons who knew about her existence. He remembered being sympathetic with Viento when Sakura showed signs of dying immediately after birth — and he was relieved and glad when she had been sent to another dimension. The human scientist Amano Takurou was quite a marvel; Din had to admit that. The plan had been perfect: there would be no chance she'd endanger this dimension, and there was some hope that she could live her own life. Din would never admit it, but he had been was amazed at how Momoko and Yousuke took the ordeal so calmly. He was even touched when the couple decided to adopt and raise orphans to make a family, instead of continuing the dangerous alternative of making children on their own.

Before Sakura came back, the thunder-demon had enjoyed a good friendship with Yousuke, a.k.a. Viento. Indeed, Yousuke was one of the few part-humans whose presence Din could tolerate. Hell, that was the main reason Din walked into the Dead Zone in the first place — he recognized the chakra when he was patrolling the border, and decided to help in case the tortured souls wanted to add Yousuke to their population.

Yet when Din saw the pink-haired girl — alive, well, and worst of all, _here _ — he nearly blew a circuit. He had over-estimated Yousuke's love for this world — angel, human, and demon realms combined.

'Well, I somehow don't blame him,' Din thought afterwards. 'Growing up in the human world must have eliminated any sense from his screwed-up head.' Demons were more devoted than humans when it came to executing justice; they were sometimes even more direct at the task than angels, who were befuddled with their concept of mercy. Angel Salvia used to be known an infamous exception to that rule, as she proved during the Great War. 'I think I liked Angel Salvia better as a demon-slaying bigot,' Din thought with a sneer. 'The likes of _her_ training Sakura, of all people... It's practically an invitation to kill!'

Din of the Raima-Zoku pondered what to do with the situation. He knew Sakura's biological parents. It was too obvious when Yousuke fell into the Dead Zone with a pink-haired girl at his side. Din could not prove it to the authorities; he had no documents, and only his well-thought-out suspicions pushed him on the matter. But he was sure. Sakura had Momoko's hair and looks. The green eyes were probably due to Yousuke's green aura, or the mixing of his hazel eyes with Momoko's blue ones.

And finally, Yousuke confirmed it with his last spoken words to Din.

(( "Din, I don't care what you think! She is under my protection!" ))

Din made a silent prayer to his dead family. Yes, it was still unclear whether Sakura was the Executioner of this dimension. But if his suspicions were correct, all hell would break loose.

'I hope that she understands the warning signals, at the very least,' he silently commented. 'For the sake of my parents, and to all beings. If she does not heed it, I will have to take care of her myself.'

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke squirmed in his bed. His bangs stuck to his forehead in cold sweat, and he was covered in blankets. Orochimaru looked on at the sleeping boy, while Kabuto was checking the boy's condition.

"It's just a normal fever," Kabuto mumbled as he read the thermometer. "He needs a full day of rest, and he'll be fine."

Orochimaru frowned. "There has been something else," he whispered, "that is bothering him."

"The curse, of course," the medic-nin answered.

"That's not what I meant," Orochimaru said in frustration. "A full year, and he still doesn't heed my command unless it is in exchange for training. He is... different from the others who willingly took the second level of the curse."

"Well, he is a prodigy," the white-haired medic said. "It's the Uchiha blood in him."

"Uchiha indeed," Orochimaru mused. The sennin touched Sasuke's burning forehead. The teenager flinched at the contact, as if he could sense the coldness of his master — both fingers and heart. "As if there is some sort of barrier _he_ created..."

Kabuto gulped. "Itachi, you mean?"

Orochimaru glanced to the side, slightly amused. Sasuke had squirmed in his sleep when his brother's name was mentioned.

"Yes." Orochimaru kept his freezing hand on Sasuke's forehead.

After about a minute, he began to lift it off — when the boy began to shake slightly. The sennin frowned. 'Another damn foreign power? And so strong...' Sasuke looked like he was in mental anguish. "What jutsu is this?" Orochimaru asked in a hiss.

* * *

Sasuke stood in a foreign place. It looked like some sort of arena — and it looked like some sort of tournament was going on. It seemed like a strange fashion wave hit the spectators; they had weird clothing and odd make-up on.

Sasuke looked to down see who was in the arena. Two people stood there. 'This must be a tournament,' Sasuke reasoned. To his surprise, one of the participants was Sakura. Why she appeared in a dueling tournament was a mystery to him.

But what made Sasuke's heart freeze was the face of her opponent. It was he himself, Uchiha Sasuke — Sharingan eyes and all, with a look of pure hatred on his face. 'What the hell am I — I mean, what is _he_ — doing there?'

Sasuke opened his mouth to yell something out. But to his horror, no noise except the chattering of spectators echoed around him. He tried to lift his feet, but he was glued to the spot.

The boy realized that he was supposed to watch this. 'Damn it, I want to wake up from this dream! NOW!'

The whistle blew. Sakura ran towards Sasuke's duplicate, and landed a clean, round-house kick on him.

The Uchiha watching from the stands blinked — either that clone of his really sucked, or Sakura got better in taijutsu. He inwardly sighed in relief. His ex-teammate could handle herself against his inadequate copy. Plus, her figure was kind of nice to watch, twisting and turning like a dancer — her pink hair and red dress further emphasized the metaphor.

The doppelganger in the fighting area stared into Sakura's eyes, giving her momentary paralysis. She froze in a terrible position. He would land a hit so easily. 'What is she doing?' Sasuke thought. 'She has to MOVE!'

"ARGH!" Sakura screamed as she was kicked into the stomach. Her body slid painfully against the dirt. She looked up with a pained and frustrated look on her face. She coughed downward, creating gruesome specks on the ground.

Blood. The kunoichi was hacking up blood.

'Why can't I move here?' Sasuke asked himself. 'What am I doing down _there_! Sakura, damn you, RUN!' Yet he was at a loss. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. His only option was to watch, while his doppelganger beat the crap out of his friend.

He then noticed something terrible about the clone: he possessed strange eyes. They were not the normal Sharingan.

'The Mangekyou," Sasuke realized. He then remembered what Itachi did to him several years back, just after he stumbled upon the cold bodies of his parents.

The illusionary move Tsukiyomi — named after the god of the moon — gave the victim seventy-two hours of torture within a split-second. 'No way... Did he activate _that_ on Sakura?' Sasuke panicked. 'That bastard; she doesn't deserve to grow up like me!'

The duplicate yelled out something, while the kunoichi stood frozen to the spot.

The field burst into a gigantic, black fireball.

The real Sasuke collapsed in shock. Another legendary jutsu of the Mangekyou Sharingan — Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun. He couldn't take it: the dream broke apart like of glass.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes shot open. He had a monstrous headache with this flu — and a dream had to yank him out of much-needed rest.

"Nightmare, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked with a sneer.

Grimacing, the Uchiha turned onto his other side in the bed. Orochimaru was right; he indeed had a nightmare... but Sasuke didn't remember what it was about. He wished he remembered it — something terrible had happened.

But it wasn't real, so there was no reason to remember it. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

A pair of sad, green eyes flashed through his mind. Sasuke fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

'That was refreshing. Now to do some practical work.' Minoru bit his finger in frustration as he looked through the old library catalogue. This dwarf cave had a pretty large library, with rare books and items, but the organizing system had been out-of-date ever since the cave had sealed its main entrance from the troll.

The elf mumbled to himself while he went through the card-catalogue. " 'Prophecies'... 'Prophecies of Celestials'... 'Well-known Soothsayers'... 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Prophecy'..." Minoru cocked an eyebrow. 'How did a human book like this end up in the Rifts?' he wondered.

There had to be something in here about Sakura's mix. Minoru wanted the pink-haired girl to live normally. If he could just find a resource that proved that she was harmless, that would help the nagging doubts in his mind whether she was eligible to stay here. Sure, this entire trip of finding the Energy Springs would prove to be useless if Sakura decided not to go back — but Minoru personally didn't care. As long as the two of them — 'ehem, three,' he corrected mentally — came out of the ordeal fine, he was satisfied to spend time with Sakura.

The blond elf scribbled notes on the back of his hand with a quill. That earned him a harsh scolding from the dwarf librarian about how hard good feathers were to obtain these days, especially in a dwarf cave, and eventually going into a long lecture about how the elves were such a pompous race.

He hopped onto the browsing-ladder. "Ma'am, I will be careful next time," he called down to the librarian as he jerked the ladder down the shelves. "Not," he added through his teeth quietly.

It was several hours until Minoru found himself, face-flat over the folds of a book. Something warm and very comfortable tugged at his sleeve.

His head turned slightly, only to meet a pair of green eyes, and another pair of yellow cat-eyes. "Mino-chan, rise and shine!" Potamos giggled. "You slept the whole night in the library!"

"Minoru-san, we were so worried when we found your bed empty," Sakura said, her hand gently shaking his shoulder. Her eyes scanned the pages of the open books. One leaf had a picture of someone — it was hard to tell what gender the person was. The being had black wings, wore a white dress, and floated in a background of midnight blue.

The pink-haired girl absentmindedly reached for the book. She could not read the paragraph next to the picture; it was in the ancient language of elfish. Yet something about that image nagged her. She picked the book it up, fingering its pages. "Minoru-san, what is this picture about?" the kunoichi asked Minoru.

"Nothing," the elf quickly said. Clearly, this was not a good sign. Sakura could pick out the prophecy even if she couldn't read it.

Sakura was unconvinced, and Minoru knew this by the frown on her face. He knew now that she was not going to leave him in peace until he explained it honestly. "Minoru-san," she said firmly. "I know that you can read it somewhat; why would you otherwise pick it from the shelves?"

"Good point," Potamos said with an evil grin.

Minoru tightened his lips for a brief moment. "Very well," he agreed. "But don't panic once I explain it. I'm trying to find how we can know for sure..."

"Sure about what?" the water-demon asked.

"Just be quiet and listen," Minoru ordered. "Now, this is a rough translation, so it's not as poetic —"

"Okay, okay, just do it," Potamos grumbled.

Minoru cleared his throat, and translated the text to Sakura and Potamos.

x

- When a demon and an angel unite in love

they shall bring peace and prosperity to all

yet the fruit from such a union cannot survive

for yin and yang shall clash to chaos.

x

However, if such a child does come into the world alive

both angel and demon, yet neither; quick to judge;

with the power to create, to heal, and the power to destroy

Death, Suffering and Rebirth shall come to all the realms.

x

Neither angel nor demon of their own places

nor the humans of Earth

nor the foreigners living in between, within the Rifts

shall escape the One's wrath.

x

The Angel of Death, the Executioner, the Final Judge,

shall be allowed by the gods to raise revolution

and crush the order of existence, be it good or evil.

This is the warning and hope of the gods, so heed its cry. -

x

Minoru looked up. A painful silence was between the three.

"Sakura-san?" the elf said hesitantly.

"Excuse me," Sakura said. "I have to go to the bathroom." She got up, wobbled away towards the restroom.

"Sacchan!" Potamos stood up, but then realized that she had not the heart to follow. Sakura needed to be alone.

Minoru looked down, folding his hands nervously. This had to come, sooner or later. "Give her time. Right now, I need your help in reading some books — we need to find _something_ that will refute this possibility."

"I don't believe it — I CAN'T believe it," the water-demon insisted to Minoru. There was a slight tremor to her voice.

"Nor can I," the elf answered. "Nor can I..." he ended softly. His thoughts were in turmoil. 'It is impossible. Sakura-san is too kind and too gentle of a creature!'

Sakura went through the lavatory door, letting it clumsily bang on its own. She had to get to a toilet, quick. Her stomach squeezed uncomfortably.

She didn't know whom to believe anymore. Scarlett had told her already about a prophecy. But she failed to mention that it was so damn frightening and apocalyptic. Was she, the little weak Haruno Sakura, supposed to be a goddess of death of this dimension? Was it her inescapable fate to slaughter out the life of this world? The idea itself was ridiculous, so laughable. Yet at the same time, it remained a terrible possibility.

The kunoichi looked at the open bowl. Kneeling down, she vomited.


	36. Unicorn

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Some readers are having suspicions, which is good! Especially the reader who signed herself as Ashley. All I can say is that the dreams do place an importance in this story in terms of: when they occur (I do put them in chronological order along with other scenes, except for flashback of course), and what they are similar to. (Can you guess what the last chapter's dream looked like?)

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 36: Unicorn

* * *

A squealing "I FOUND IT!" echoed through the library at ten o'clock in the morning.

Sakura jerked out of her nervous state, curled up in a sofa.

Minoru threw an apologetic look at the librarian. "Potamos, can you not be quiet for a second when you're awake!" the elf grumbled in the water-demon's direction.

Potamos continued to jump up and down, with a gloved hand clamping her squealing mouth. Sakura quickly walked over to the book the water-demon was pointing at.

Printed on the page was the diagram of a horse — or what looked like a horse. It had a snowy white coat, with a curled horn on its head.

"What is that?" Sakura asked.

"A unicorn, obviously," Potamos said. "Even in the human world they still have 'm in paintings and books." She paused. "You... didn't know that, Sacchan?"

"Uh...no." The kunoichi shivered in a nervous manner. Sakura was raised in a human world, yes — but not _the_ human world Potamos knew and hoped to visit. After all, this was a different dimension. "Potamos, what does the description say about the unicorn?" Sakura asked quickly. "This isn't just some bogus fortune-telling myth, is it? If this is anything like that ridiculous Oracle of Delphi I read about, then it's only a waste of time."

"Unicorns _do_ exist," Minoru said. "I actually saw one myself; my sister caught one."

Potamos scanned the text. "The unicorn is a healing creature. What most humans don't know is that it's also called the beast of Lumina."

Sakura nodded. She was thankful that she read a bit on the Spirit guardians of this world. "Lumina, the guardian of Light." She rubbed her head, trying to recall what she learned in Minerva's books about aura. "The other guardians are... Luna, guardian of the Moon; Shadow, guardian of Darkness; and Dryad, guardian of Wood and Plants."

Potamos grinned. "Don't forget the elemental guardians, Sacchan."

"Slyph for wind, Undine for water, Salamando for fire, and Gnome for ground," Sakura said, ticking the names off. "Happy?"

"Happy!" the water-demon cheered. "I knew it; humans aren't that dumb!"

Sakura frowned. "Hey, wait a min—"

"Anyways!" Potamos exclaimed, clutching her fists in determination and excitement, "This creature is supposed to be one of the best counselors one could ever have. They're way more accurate and nicer than soothsayers, and it can't tell ANY lie in ANY language. If the beast likes you — like, really, REALLY likes you, it'll stay and explain things longer."

"The unicorn should be lurking around the Energy Spring of Lumina," Minoru said. "And that's our destination anyway. We need four of the non-elemental ethers. We've got Luna down, so far. Now if we could just have the luck of finding this creature..."

"It's possible to catch a unicorn!" Potamos said, punching her fists in the air. "They're supposed to be really hard to find, but WE CAN DO IT!" The purple-haired girl continued to read through the pages.

Her eyes froze at one paragraph.

Potamos' cheeks began to flush red. "Um..."

Minoru read the page, and brightened. "Well, this shouldn't be too hard!" he exclaimed. "My stupid brothers talked about luck and enchantment and all that, but now that I read this official description — it turns out that they were probably teasing me. Let's see... 'Unicorns are attracted to females, particularly virgins.' That's rather gender-discriminatory of the creature... I'm disqualified, obviously. But we have you two on the team. Sakura's angelic blood is a further advantage."

"Um, but, but," Potamos stuttered, "I'm, I'm a demon! Yes — I'm a demon!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean the unicorn will hate you," Minoru said, scanning the text. "As long as you don't let off a burst of blood-lust, you still can help Sakura-san catch it. Once it is tamed, I shall come fetch the both of you."

Potamos let off a squeak.

"What are you so afraid of, Potamos?" Sakura asked. "Don't worry, the unicorn won't hurt you unless you threaten it. Yeah, girl power!"

The water-demon looked absolutely terrified. "Yeah, sure. Girl power," she said nervously.

"And BY NO MEANS should you kill it," Minoru sternly said. "It lays the curse of a half-life if you do."

"Yeth," Potamos lisped in an unnaturally high voice. "I know. The half-life thingy." In truth, she was not worried about the curse of killing a unicorn. What concerned her more was about meeting it in the first place.

* * *

Minoru sat at the window of the inn, watching the dwarf guards march on the cobblestone streets in a disciplined manner. Like a human city during the night, the streets were lit with dim torches. The only daylight which reached this underground village was through a perfectly-chiseled circle at the top of the cave ceiling. Thus, only around the time of noon was pure sun visible.

Sakura and Potamos were snoozing peacefully. The two were quite tired, as they had visited every weapon-shop in the village, which until now had very few customers. Sakura was taught by one smith how to fight with axes — one of his stands full of weapons collapsed, and she offered her help. It turned out that she could lift the heavy weapons without breaking a sweat, as long as they were one at a time. ('The strength-training from Tsunade-sama must have paid off,' Sakura thought to herself.) The dwarf was impressed with her strength as a human-girl, and gave her a free three-hour lesson, hoping to convert her to the art of axe-fighting. She thanked the dwarf kindly in the evening, and went back to the inn. True, she would probably never have the chance to lift an axe again, yet she felt happy and giddy from the unusual exercise.

The elf couldn't sleep very well, as the previous night he had been studying in the library too long. 'Oh, yes, and the mirror enchantment,' Minoru remembered. 'It is nearly impossible to forget doing that. Every time, it becomes more amusing.'

Minoru walked over to Sakura's bed. He glanced at the sheathed katana next to her body. 'Tennyo. Heavenly maiden, indeed...'

The blond intently studied Sakura's peaceful face. He brushed her silky, pink hair out of her face. "I bless you with sweet dreams," he whispered in elvish, letting his index finger trace her forehead.

He walked over to the mirror. His eyes closed. 'And now, for the bitter ones. Think back. Back when you were alive, Emerald, my sister... for that is all you allowed me to call you.'

His hand touched the surface of the mirror. It began to glow.

The palm of Minoru's hand began to sweat, making a haze on the glass surrounding it. This was probably not a good idea: his aura reserves needed to recover. Doing the powerful enchantment for two nights in a row was demanding — even when he was in the Rifts.

Plus, a voice in the back of his head told him, 'Stop it. It's not worth it.'

Minoru lifted his hand off. The mirror's surface faded back to normal. The elf slowly went to his bed. He needed rest.

* * *

(( (Fifty years ago, Frida Village)

"Emerald. Your garden is choke-full of weeds," Minoru said. He pulled a loose strand of his sandy-blond hair behind his ear. "In fact, I now dub it: The Weed Patch."

Emerald, the half-elf with dark, pink hair, swung down from the tree. "I prefer to call it, 'a meadow'," she said thoughtfully. "That word is so much more romantic, don't you think?"

Minoru heaved a sigh. Girls. "Romantic, indeed. Your flowers are dying a weary and agonizing death."

"Oh, no!" Emerald shrieked.

She ran over to her patch — and tripped, falling face-first into the grass. Minoru blinked at his adopted sister's clumsiness, and laughed. "For a sword-fighter, you sure are graceful," he snorted.

"Oh, be quiet," Emerald moaned, getting up and brushing herself off. "I wish you weren't so sarcastic at times. I met a really, really cool person who isn't afraid to tell the truth to me!"

"My, this person must insult you a lot," Minoru concluded. He grinned at the fuming, pink-haired girl. He liked being blunt, as long as it did not seriously offend others.

"That's it; you'll taste the wrath of my wooden sword!" Emerald yelled, stomping off towards the house. Minoru laughed, and caught up to her, grabbing her wrist.

"Sorry, Emerald, I didn't mean it that way. Forgive me?" His lips gave the slightest hint of a pout.

It was more than enough, especially when he was so damn handsome, like the rest of his blood-relations. The pink-haired elf sighed in defeat, finding her own signature move used against her. "You steal everything from me," she complained. "The Puppy-Dog Pout is MY move."

She walked over to the tree hammock, and lay down on it to take a nap.

Ten seconds later, she found another warm body next to her in the hammock. "Minoru," she said in a growl, "I want some peace." Actually, she liked him next to her, hugging her like the wonderful brother he was. But he scorched her pride for a split-second.

"I'll make you a dream potion tomorrow if you let me stay," Minoru coaxed.

Pause.

"It better be a good one," she said finally. Her brother laughed, planted a light kiss on her forehead, and let her snuggle into his clothes. For ten peaceful minutes, the two simply held each other.

Finally, Minoru broke the silence. "Who's this new person you met?" he asked out of curiosity.

Emerald opened her eyes. "Hm? Oh, him... Just a passer-by, I met him in the forest. I think he's a traveler, or something." A wistful look passed her face, before she hid her blushing cheeks into his chest.

Minoru frowned. The weird, 'sad happiness' his mother told him about. And meeting someone in the forest — Emerald hardly ever went there, unless she was accompanied by one in the family. Was she actually picking herbs on a _voluntary _basis?

Absentmindedly, his fingers traced over his sister's neck. The fabric of her scarf moved a little, and Minoru froze at what he saw. "Emerald, you're wounded!" he exclaimed.

Her gentle eyes shot open in alarm. She clumsily toppled out of the hammock, landing onto the ground in an odd position. Minoru looked down, and the scarf she wore around her throat fell away. There was no mistaking it: two puncture marks, surrounded by a spot of pale flesh. Emerald caught the horrified look on her brother's face, and covered the wounds with her hand. "Please don't tell Daddy! Please, Minoru!" she pleaded quietly.

Minoru's eyes were locked onto her neck. "Those are from a vampire. You have been wandering out in the forest at night. Half-elf or no, you must stay away from them."

"I was going to tell you," Emerald whispered. "I swear this. Please, don't tell Daddy."

Minoru bit his lip. Those of elfin blood never turned into a vampire, so it was not as if his sister was in danger in terms of health. Their father did not need to know; he would throw a fit if he found out. "You _do_ realize that our human guard is dying because of the recent increase of vampires attacks in this area," the elf said quietly.

"Because the humans are over-hunting the forests!" Emerald argued. "You know that; all the elves know that!"

Minoru paused in thought. "I was wondering why you were buying scraps from the meat-market. I first thought it was for the birds, but no — it's a humanoid, undead bat. How can you do that for him; he _bit_ you, for heaven's sake!"

"Only for three seconds!" the girl insisted. "He couldn't even get a teaspoon out of me because of my half-elf blood. He was starving! He's tame if you just give him some food..."

Minoru scoffed. "Oh, I see. You are defending someone who attacked you, and now is leeching off your kindness. I'm a little more merciful than my brothers. But the likes of him deserves to crumble apart and have his ashes thrown in the wind."

Emerald cringed. Her lower lip trembled.

Minoru's face fell. This nightmare kept turning worse and worse. "Oh my God... You... and him!"

"No!" Emerald sobbed. "Nothing of the sort. He's JUST a good friend," she insisted.

"It won't work out," Minoru directly stated. "You _know_ that. You're full of energy, with more than a century left to live — and he's... well, you know." His voice toward her softened a great deal more. An odd feeling boiled inside him, making him start to choke on his words.

"It's one-sided, if there are any feelings," the half-elf stubbornly resolved. "He's my friend, nothing more. He's the only one outside of the family who talks to me as an equal! Please, please let me continue to see him..." She covered her face in her hands, attempting to hide the tears trickling down her reddened cheeks.

Minoru bit his lip in thought. "I will allow you to meet him, if you so wish," he slowly said.

A mixed burst of joy and disbelief radiated out of Emerald's face.

"However," her brother said firmly, bursting her bubble, "before you see him again, I must give you a talisman. Consider it an extra lesson in magic." The elf grabbed the other by the hand, and pulled her to the laboratory in the house. ))

* * *

Two weeks passed before the three made it to the Energy Spring of Lumina. Most of the creatures were shy, and did not bother the traveling party. Sakura learned from Minoru how to engage the energy-collector, while Potamos looked around at the fine mist around them. She seemed extremely antsy.

Sakura looked at the four energy-collectors in Minoru's set. Two were full — one with a pale yellow, and one with a pure white. "Two down, two more to go. We're halfway through!"

"Don't count on the second half being at same level," Minoru corrected dryly, closing the box of energy-collectors with a brisk snap. "We still have the Energy Spring of Dryad and the Energy Spring of Shadow to visit. Those places have far more dangerous monsters and creatures around."

"That's good," Potamos said, her nervousness still evident. "I was beginning to think that the rest of the trip was going to be boring. Now let's go straight away to the next Spring!"

"Did you forget the unicorn already?" Minoru asked in a testing manner, "Or are you just trying to get away from the ordeal?"

Potamos winced. She had been hoping to weasel out of this, but the elf was too sharp.

Minoru pointed to his left, towards a nearly demolished stone entry. White steps, battered from wind and weather, led up to a gate. "That, my friends, is the entry to the old temple of Lumina. It has long been out of use, but spirits and creatures still lurk around there. You," — he nodded to Potamos — "must go through there with Sakura-san, and look for the unicorn. I'll stand watch here. If in the case you get into trouble, call for me. It would take away our chances of finding a unicorn, but having you both alive is more important. If you're not back in two hours, I will probe you and fish you out. Any questions?"

"Yes," Sakura said, instinctively raising her hand. "If by any chance, something does attack us, would using celestial aura repel the unicorn?"

"You can use angelic or demonic aura, believe it or not," Minoru said. "Even the devil-child. As long as you keep your blood-lust down to a minimum, it is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage to use magic in the old temple. The key is to not attack or kill anything, unless it is necessary."

"Okay, let's go!" Sakura said eagerly, dragging Potamos with her.

Minoru sat down on a nearby rock. "Good luck."

* * *

Potamos trembled from nervousness. Vines and plants were growing in, through and around the remains of the temple. There hardly was any ceiling left of the white building. It looked quite nice, actually, with light streaming in, and the patches of moss carpeting the blocks of stone. "How long have we been here?" the water-demon asked.

Sakura looked at her watch. "Thirty minutes."

Potamos clutched her head. "Only a half-hour? I can't stand it!"

"Your demonic powers aren't draining away from you, are they?" Sakura asked quickly. "If Minoru-san lied to us, I swear that—"

The water-demon frantically waved her hands in front of her. "No, no! My aura is fine. It's just that I'm scared that if we meet the unicorn..."

"What?" Sakura asked. "It's a gentle creature; it won't harm you!" The kunoichi froze. Her eyes landed on a tall, white column. She walked over, and glanced at the inscriptions. "Potamos, can you read this?"

Potamos placed her fingers to her chin, studying the writing. "Hmmm..."

"Well?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"Gibberish," Potamos concluded. "It's too worn-out to read."

**'Say that a little more quickly, SHANNAROOO!'** "But this column sticks out like a sore thumb," Sakura insisted. "There must be something special to it." Potamos blinked, still confused. The pink-haired girl sighed. "Look at it: there are lots of columns in this place. Most of them are broken. But this one seems more tall and intact. Moreover, it doesn't follow the regular pattern and design of the others."

"Huh. You're right, Sacchan." Potamos crossed her arms. "This rock has old lettering chiseled on its surface. But the other ones are smooth and clean. A gothic pole in a romanesque temple."

Behind Sakura, a point of light glistened in the shadow.

Potamos froze. Her cat-eyes widened in fear at what she saw over her friend's shoulder.

She immediately turned her heels and ran.

"Potamos!" The pink-haired girl turned around. Sakura gripped the hilt of Tennyo, and slid it out, making a battle stance to whatever was behind her.

Three eyes sparkled in the shadows of the bushes. Sakura tightened her lips, ready to use her katana if the creature attacked her. 'I will not run.'

The being slowly came forward. What Sakura first thought was a third eye turned out to be the point of a crystal — a crystal horn. A large, beautiful horse emerged from the shadow. Its coat was so white and shimmering that the light refracted into a slight rainbow at some curves. The eyes were black, but Sakura could see the hesitant shyness in them.

Sakura relaxed slowly, putting away her sword with care. She did not want to make any sudden moves and scare the unicorn away. She gulped as the great animal clopped over the white stones and undergrowth towards her. Its smell was strong, hauntingly sweet. 'Okay, let it come first... Reach out your hand when it bows to you...' The unicorn touched Sakura's outstretched hand with its nose. The girl smiled; the feel of its coat tickled. She stroked its nose, coaxing it to trust her.

Something in the atmosphere changed. Except for the unicorn's breathing, there were no sounds of birds anymore. In fact, there were strange pants coming from behind.

The unicorn jerked in fright. Sakura automatically glanced at the wind's direction, as the horse must have smelled something.

Five goblins jumped out of the bushes, aiming their axes and stout swords at the two. Sakura's breath seemed to stop as the monsters aimed to kill her, and God-knows-what to the beast. 'These goblins must have been following me, using me as bait for the unicorn!'

The kunoichi decided that she had to protect the animal. She slapped it to make it move away. "Run!" Sakura hissed to the creature. "Before you get hurt on my account!"

Sakura turned to the creatures. She performed the hand-seals without hesitation. 'Kanashibari no Jutsu!'

Two of the goblins froze, the image of death shooting into their brains. The kunoichi saw two of the unaffected coming for her, while the last one ran around the trees to get to the unicorn.

Sakura's hands flicked into the sequence. 'Kawarimi no Jutsu!'

The two goblins swung their weapons towards Sakura — and found them stuck into a wooden log. The real girl appeared behind them, and they were both decapitated by Tennyo in a split-second. She put chakra in her legs, and ran towards where the unicorn was.

The unicorn was rearing on its back legs, facing the fastest and strongest monster of the group. Whether it was neighing out of ferocity or terror, Sakura could not tell. What she saw was that the goblin raised its axe over its shoulders — it would throw it into the unicorn's chest the next instant.

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. 'Oh my god! I'm not going to make it!'

* * *

"MINO-CHAN!" Potamos ran through the gate and into a bewildered Minoru. She was bursting into tears. "It's Sacchan; we've gotta help her! I ran away!"

"...You _what_?" Minoru exclaimed in fury. "You..." A jolt went through his skull. "Who cares about the unicorn anymore!" he snapped. "We're going in! Both of us!" With those words, he ran into the ancient temple, and Potamos followed him quickly.

The scream of a horse rang against the temple walls.

* * *

Notes:

Oracle of Delphi — this shrine to Apollo actually existed in ancient Greece. Pilgrims would come and have the chance to ask a question, and the priestess would give an answer, supposedly channeling the god Apollo. The only problem was that the answers were so vague and paradoxical that it was up to the pilgrims how to interpret them. One rising-in-power king asked the oracle, what would happen if he were to attack a certain powerful neighboring country. It came up with the answer: "A great country shall fall." (He lost the battle miserably, thus fulfilling the prophecy.) And when a student of Socrates asked the question "Is there anybody wiser than Socrates?" the answer was, "NO ONE." (Socrates investigated this further, because he knew that he wasn't the most sensible guy on the block. Eventually, he came up with the Socratic Truth: "I know, that I know nothing.")


	37. Assurance

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

This is just a random observation, but... was it I who came up with the trend of surrounding X's and other junk around a name, at least among those who read Naruto fanfiction? Because it sure seemed to sprout out in recent months. If this takeover is indeed my unintentional doing, I just want to say that it's NOT an original idea of mine. I got it from a German foreign exchange student.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 37: Assurance

* * *

Sakura screamed. In rage, she ran with Tennyo in her grip to kill the monster. She did not care whether the goblin was twice her weight and could swat her like a fly. All she knew was that this was not her idea.

'This isn't right!' she yelled inside. 'This isn't supposed to happen!' A pure and innocent creature like the unicorn was mortally hurt because a stupid kunoichi did not hear the goblins trailing her. The animal could not fight on its own. It did not deserve to die in such a degrading manner.

The stallion, despite having an axe buried in its chest, kicked the goblin in the head. The goblin staggered back. The unicorn reared again — and stomped directly onto its assailant's face. The monster's head came between the weight of the giant horse and the temple stone underneath: it was crushed dead in an instant.

Sakura was bewildered. The unicorn was severely wounded; it was a marvel that the beast could move so quickly and strongly in those conditions. 'Maybe it's strong enough to live!' she hopefully thought. The unicorn's knees buckled, and the magnificent animal fell onto the ground. Sakura immediately ran to the fallen beast. She knelt down, and examined the wound. A clear liquid was going out in soft bursts. 'Unicorns have transparent blood,' Sakura remembered. 'Oh, no...'

Sakura gulped. Yes, she did take medical lessons from Tsunade, but she had hardly an experience to perform such a complex operation. Nevertheless — she had to try. She dug into her supplies, and pulled out a medical kit.

Sakura looked into the unicorn's black eyes. "This will hurt, but it needs to come out," she whispered. The animal blinked, and held still as Sakura reached for the axe.

It winced as she pulled it out. The bleeding increased, and the kunoichi quickly surrounded the wound with her dress to slow it down.

Sakura put her hands together in a hand-seal. Her thoughts fell upon Tsunade — the lady's personality, and her kindness. Sure, the woman was rough and rude at times. She still had her vile habit of gambling, and drinking sake. Yet the woman looked out for Sakura, and especially Naruto, like an older sister. She loved the village, and protected it with her life.

'I want to be like you, Tsunade-sama,' Sakura thought. 'Please, please give me the strength... So that I can make you proud.'

The kunoichi felt her hands glow with chakra. She opened her eyes, and reached into the unicorn's wound. She had to fuse the cells back together, and hope for the best. This had to work.

The clear blood pumped out over her fingers, like some sort of thin glue. "Live," Sakura ordered quietly.

(( "This move requires cold concentration, and perfect control of chakra." Tsunade explained. Sakura nodded, her face determined. "If you get it right, it's quite handy. Even at the first stage of mastering it, it leaves no scars — unless a large chunk of flesh came out in the first place. As the wounds get deeper, you need more chakra, and more skill." ))

The horse's breathing became shallow. The unicorn's eyes calmly watched what Sakura was doing. "Live," Sakura repeated, ignoring the obvious sadness in the animal's eyes. The crevice in the animal's flesh began to close up.

(( "Remember, though — this doesn't heal everything. If the patient loses too much... well... blood," Tsunade said nervously, "there won't be enough oxygen going to the brain and vital organs." ))

Sakura felt the unicorn's heart-beat drop to a lull. The wound was half-way closed. Yet her strength was failing; it too was deep to begin with. Sakura growled.

The unicorn weakly moved its head, so that the tip of its curled, crystal horn touched Sakura's forehead. 'Don't do it anymore,' the unicorn telepathically told her.

Sakura hissed in annoyance. "You WILL live after this," she stubbornly said. She was too focused in her work to even be surprised at the unicorn's psychic abilities. After all, if the unicorn died, there would be none of those talents left.

'I am finished,' the unicorn said in resolve. 'Even when I added some of my powers to your own, it was not enough. I should not burden you anymore. It is too late.'

"No, it's not!" Sakura exclaimed. She tried to pull the wound together, but the unicorn was in a terrible position for an operation. Its breathing was weak. The blood over Sakura's hands jelled into a cool, whitish substance over her fingers. Her lower lip wavered. "I'm... the one who's a burden."

The unicorn's eyes were soft. 'I know that you were not sent by the goblins. No matter what blood relations you have, your heart is strong and good.'

Blood relations. Sakura had almost forgotten the main reason she was here in the first place.

'Little one, I see the options laid out before you... And I tell you, you are not the Angel of Death. It is yet too early of this world to stop existing; the stars and gods have told me this. However, I give you this warning: if you combine your angel and demon powers — the power might be too great for you. There are laws in this dimension, and a being whose angel and demon forces somehow fuse together will self-destruct... whether it is by accident, or by choice. That is why when the One comes... the blast shall be so massive that everything will cease to exist.'

Sakura's breath caught in her mouth. Self-destruct?

'As a final request, please save the Tree of Life, near the elfin village of Frida. I give you my horn for the ordeal, once my body disappears.'

The tears dripped down Sakura's face. There was nothing more she could do. Her chakra was depleted, and she could barely move. The kunoichi wiped as much crusted blood from her hands as she could, and stroked the unicorn's nose.

She sobbed into the white mane. In her arms, the unicorn drew its last breath.

* * *

Two loud, clattering goblins stumbled into a hallway. Their eyes met with those of Minoru and Potamos.

"Keep the last one alive, devil-child!" Minoru ordered, drawing an arrow across the shaft. The arrow whizzed through the air and sank into a goblin's head, while Potamos ordered some water to engulf the other.

Potamos irritably tucked her upper lip under the lower one. "That's not fair; you get to kill one, but I have to keep mine alive!"

"How DARE you say that when you ran away!" Minoru snarled, making Potamos jump.

"Yes," the water-demon peeped. Her water pinned the goblin to the wall, but the monster put up a struggle. "I can't hold 'm!" the water-demon yelled. "He's too strong!"

Minoru growled, and vines burst out of the ground from under the goblin, twisting and turning around its limbs. The monster snarled in its trapped state. Potamos sighed. "Thanks, Mino-chan."

The elf panted, glaring at the monster. "Devil-child," he said, glancing to Potamos, "I give you the honor of... questioning him. The standards I give you is to keep him conscious and get answers."

A small smile crept over the water-demon's face. "Really?"

"Yes," Minoru said, annoyed that he was starting to accept Potamos' rather strange fetishes. But at the same time, she was better than him in interrogation techniques. "Sakura-san must be safe now. We need answers of just why some goblins were hiding out in the depths of the temple of Lumina."

Potamos weakly grinned at Minoru, then turned her gleaming yellow eyes onto the monster. "Who sent you?" she asked cutely.

Minoru rolled his eyes. The goblin snapped its jaws at Potamos, clearly underestimating what she was capable of.

A tiny, straight dagger of ice morphed in her palm — her most recent achievement — and she pointed it at the goblin's throat. Before, she had used a mist-illusion of a spear, and the chakra in the mist would give the victim an acute touch of coldness at the skin. But now was the real deal: she pushed the sharp weapon into the goblin's neck, and blood began to seep out. "Ya know," she giggled, "I can tell that you have SOME knowledge of language. Why? Because I heard you talking with the other one, before Mino-chan here put an arrow straight into his head." She grinned. "My, there was a lot of blood."

The goblin's jaw clenched. Potamos' cat-eyes twinkled, and she grinned. The goblin roared, as Potamos' spear of ice pushed deeper. "Alrigh', Alrigh'!" it exclaimed, sobbing. "My master sent us out to kill the unicorn!"

"I wanna know the NAME," Potamos sing-songed, "of your master." The purple-haired girl began to twist the dagger into the goblin's skin like a screw, making it shriek.

"The likes of me, don't know the master's name!" the goblin said in a raspy voice. "Just stop, stop!"

Potamos frowned. "How can you not know YOUR OWN MASTER'S NAME?"

"He's speaking the truth, devil-child," Minoru said, wiping his brow, still attempting to digest the fact that he and Sakura put up with this girl. "Lower-ranking goblins are not informed of their master's name, because the leader doesn't trust them enough. Anyway... the unicorn, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Potamos turned back to the goblin. "I ask you 'bout the unicorn!" she repeated. "What happened to it?"

A vicious grin spread over his face. It began to laugh, clearly enjoying its brief power. "It's dead," it said in a choking voice. "And so's the human girl."

Potamos cat-eyes creased in fury. "Liar!" she screamed, stabbing the weapon deep into the vile monster's throat. The goblin began to make choking noises, and it lost consciousness. "Man, that felt GOOD," the water-demon hissed. "Anyways, we've gotta find Sacchan!"

The vines fell away from the monster's corpse. "You shouldn't have done that," Minoru said, shuddering at what just happened. "Sakura is alive. She shouldn't be too far from here."

They turned a corner, and something in the water-demon's brain clicked. "We passed here," Potamos said. She glanced at a tall column, and recognized the markings. "It was around here that we saw the unicorn!"

Minoru frowned at the markings of the column. "This must be the main pillar," he mumbled.

"You noticed, too!" Potamos exclaimed. "Sacchan was really suspicious of it; it's not in the same style as the rest of the building." She glanced around, trying to find Sakura.

"Well, that is actually normal," Minoru said. "When one renovates a building, it's reasonable to assume that the people want it more in fashion." Minoru's fingers traced the ancient script. "Sakura-san was observant, yes — but she was over-analyzing it, without knowing the trends in architecture."

"Mino-chan, over here!" Potamos exclaimed, waving to a pile of rubble. Minoru sighed, knowing well that the peppy water-demon had not digested an ounce of his explanation.

Minoru's breath seemed to stop at the picture. Potamos quivered.

The dead unicorn lay on the grass, its head in Sakura's lap. The corpse of an enormous goblin lay nearby. The smaller bodies of two decapitated monsters were sprawled over the ground, with the detached heads nesting in the grass like moth-infested cabbages.

Minoru ran over to Sakura, and embraced her. "Sakura-san. You're safe."

"It rescued me," Sakura said quietly.

"Huh?" Potamos timidly walked over, her eyes saddening at the scene. "Sacchan, what do you mean?"

"The unicorn... knew that I was no match for the leader," Sakura choked. "I didn't realize until now... It risked his life to crush the monster, before it got to me. The unicorn could have gotten away; it could run fast enough. But he stayed to protect me. It's all my fault."

Sakura felt the blond elf's gentle hands stroke her head. It was so comfortable that it tempted her to burst into tears. "Minoru-san." She sniffed. "The unicorn said... I'm not the Angel of Death."

Minoru stroked her pink hair. "From the beginning, I knew it did not sound like you. And I am happy that you are safe."

"He... also told me something else."

* * *

Sakura rubbed her eyes as she trod through the rocky ground. Her red dress was back on. When the carcass of the unicorn faded away, its blood in her dress likewise disappeared. All that was left of the great animal was the crystal horn, which Sakura kept wrapped in a bundle of cloth in her supply bag.

Sakura mentally repeated the ninja saying: 'A true shinobi does not display emotions...'

"It's not your fault," Minoru soothed, reading Sakura's facial expression. "Had I come earlier, instead of interrogating those two other goblins — I might have been able to help heal him."

"It's nobody's total fault," Sakura said quietly, wiping away a tear that escaped her green eyes.

Potamos hiccupped. She couldn't take the tension anymore. "Sacchan is miserable, and it's all 'cause of me!" her voice suddenly burst out, startling Minoru and Sakura. "And all because I... I ran away..."

"No, it was right for you to go get Minoru-san's help," Sakura said.

Potamos twiddled her fingers nervously. "Well, not exactly... The truth is, I wanted so badly for you to meet the unicorn. But I was afraid that he might not welcome me..."

"Why?" Sakura asked. She curiously looked at Potamos' blushing face.

Potamos gulped. "I had a boyfriend once," the water-demon quickly explained.

"And?" Minoru pushed on. The blond elf grinned widely. He couldn't resist; it was too perfect.

Sakura innocently blinked. This made the water-demon blush even more.

Minoru's innards were screaming with mirth. Surely, the poor little demon did not have to explain ever detail to the smart kunoichi? Oh, he would pay big to see that...

The water-demon's face turned from pink into a bright crimson. "Well... we kinda... YOU KNOW!"

Realization dawned on Sakura. "You mean—"

"Don't say it!" Potamos yelled, clutching her head.

Minoru let the laughter seep out of him.

Sakura stared at the elf, wondering how he could laugh. But it was contagious. The pink-haired girl started to giggle, helping to wash away some of the sadness in her. Even though there was death, there was also life. And if there was life, there was always the possibility of humor.

"Mino-chan, you're so mean!" Potamos squealed, covering her red cheeks. "And you even got Sacchan laughing at me!"

"Was he GOOD, Potamos?" the kunoichi asked sweetly.

Potamos fanned her face. "Oh, yes... I mean, he was a JERK personality-wise; I dumped him after a while. Wait, why am I telling you two this? Let's stop this conversation, right now!"

* * *

Notes:

In the Wedding Peach manga, Potamos had crushes on at least two demons (she killed one of them, by the way). She is so cute! I love her!


	38. Psychic Inclinations

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

Great, the website now doesn't accept brace brackets, or square brackets. Will this madness of changing punctuation never end? I'll have to use double-parentheses.

Not only is the plot getting more complicated, school has started for me. I began this fic last semester (it was near finals) and my GPA went into mortal danger. I want to do well this semester. So if I am slowing down, I apologize to the faithful readers. I will do my best to keep going — I just need pointers as we go.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 38: Psychic Inclinations

* * *

Minoru drew his arrow across the shaft. In an instant, it was out of his fingers and lodged in the ribcage of a ground bird, looking similar to a pheasant. The unfortunate animal fell in a heap.

"We don't have time to pluck a bird AND roast it, Mino-chan," Potamos whined.

"We have time. You're just complaining because you can't hit it yourself," the elf said. "And I can also understand your complaint about the cuisine. But don't worry: two more nights camping, and we'll arrive in a village."

"Minoru-san, do the villages have rice?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry — most of the grain around villages is composed of wheat and barley. Rice is a bit difficult to grow in the Rifts."

The kunoichi sighed sorrowfully. The diet of the three travelers composed mainly of water, dried fruit, crackers, wild game, and a few berries and plants along the way. She had been getting mood swings from time to time ever since the trip began, and she had a craving for normal food. By normal food, she meant rice, seaweed, fried fish, and pickles. She was also getting slight migraine headaches. Sakura had no idea why — she began to wonder if the demon aura was fussing around with her mind. A few days ago, she had sliced apart a dozen stone golems with too much eagerness.

Little did she know that her elfin friend knew better.

Within an hour, the field-chicken was roasting over an open flame. Sakura wiped the sweat off her brow as she set up the tent. She sat down when she finished her handiwork, and admired the scenery.

The kunoichi smelt something peculiar. She turned around, and a twig with small, brown objects appeared in front of her eyes. "Eat this, Sakura-san," Minoru ordered, holding the food.

Sakura eyed it suspiciously. "What is THAT?"

"It's field-chicken," Minoru said casually.

"I know it's field-chicken," Sakura murmured. "What I meant was: what PART of the chicken is that?"

The elf sighed. "Heart and liver, as well as other internal organs. They are completely cooked, thus safe to eat."

Sakura looked appalled. "Safe or not, there's no way in hell I'm eating that!"

"You need the nutrients, Sakura-san. You need to replenish your low blood supply."

"My what?" Sakura certainly had not undergone heavy bloodshed in battle in recent months — or ever, for that matter.

Minoru smirked. "Being 120 years old, I have some familiarity with human physiology, especially a girl of your age. I can also now tell that you are ignorant about your condition, much less how to handle it. All these months, and you —"

"Condition?" The onset of panic descended on Sakura. For a second, it looked like she was ready to pour out everything she had been experiencing to the elf. "Minoru-san, does this have anything to do with my chakra? Because I've been worried —"

"Isn't it obvious?" the elf interrupted, matter-of-factly. "You suffer from Premenstrual Syndrome, otherwise known as PMS. Not as extreme as other women, of course, but still some minor symptoms."

* * *

(( (Fifty years ago, at the Tree of Life near Frida Village)

Minoru nudged his sister forward. She wore a bracelet of gold studded with emeralds, hanging loosely around her wrist. "If you need help, just call to it," he said. "I'll leave you alone now. You know the way home." He turned away, and quickly went out of her sight.

Emerald shivered in her cloak. This talisman was supposed to be blessed with the power of Dryad. At first, she refused to borrow the wristband: Minoru had received it as a gift for his initiation into magic. But he insisted that she wore it, saying that he would not let her visit her undead friend without a powerful item. Even if the vampire could not kill her by sucking her blood, it could still murder elves and half-elves by other means. Minoru hardly ever used it, anyway.

Just one command to the bracelet, and bam: instant stake, ready to go into the chest.

But could she do it, if it ever came to that?

Emerald felt something touch the center of her back.

"You shouldn't let your guard down like that," a dark-haired man whispered. It was a scolding statement, but there was a hint of affection in his tone.

She giggled. "You're too quiet."

"I like the silence," he said simply, sitting down next to her.

Minoru sat high up in the trees, watching. 'You haven't even noticed me, undead,' he thought inside. He was only taking this opportunity to see what the vampire's true character was. Rumors said that vampires held no emotions, except for maybe bloodlust.

Emerald and her vampire-friend exchanged the usual greetings. They somehow ended up sitting together under a tree.

A long, uncomfortable silence passed between them. Then, she quietly laid her head on his shoulder.

Minoru raised an eyebrow. 'Wow, she made the first move,' he commented inside. 'Let's see how he reacts.'

The man next to Emerald gulped. A strange feeling washed over him with her touch. He had not felt this in a long time. The vampire looked away in embarrassment, but he did not push her off. Instead, he seemed to lean into to her.

The dark-haired man looked up, and noticed someone in the trees. A blond elf. Their eyes locked, and his glare told Minoru: 'Don't you DARE spy on us.'

Minoru gave an apologetic smile. 'You'd better take care of her, Corpse,' his inner thoughts seethed. Yet the elf trusted this vampire. Emerald was safe. With a fleeting glance, Minoru vanished into the foliage, leaving the two in peace. ))

* * *

Minoru suddenly realized that he should not have been so direct to Sakura. "Oh... I seemed to have forgotten that young humans take that information a little too personally. Elves tend to be a little more mature in these subjects — or any subject, for that matter..."

"You... you PERVERT!" Sakura exclaimed as she raised her fists.

"Oh, boy," Potamos said under her breath, although silently excited with what would happen next. Sakura now had enough fury to VOLUNTARILY attack the elf!

"What is so perverse about a completely normal thing that happens to women?" Minoru argued, a little annoyed. "You need the minerals, especially iron."

"How dare you —"

"YES, I DARE!" Minoru retorted in a harsh voice. Sakura jumped. The elf closed his eyes in frustration for a moment. He then went back to his normal, calm composure. "Sakura-san, I am sorry if I have intruded on what you call 'personal ground', but I am your doctor. If you want to feel better, this is a good medicine."

**'PERVERT!'** Inner Sakura continued to yell.

"Please, at least try it," Minoru asked politely — almost pleadingly.

Sakura took the stick. She stared at the food. Liver. How degrading. How disgusting. But was she so heartless as to refuse his cooking? She willed herself to touch it with her lips, and hesitantly nibbled on the food.

As much as she hated to admit it, it did not taste half-bad. It did not have the putrid odor that she so desperately refused to tolerate, back when her mother made it for her. It had a strangely familiar spicing.

"Did you... cook this with teriyaki sauce?" Sakura asked. Potamos' jaw dropped as she inwardly cursed.

"It's good, isn't it?" Minoru commented with a sly grin.

"I'm keeping my guard on, Minoru-san," Sakura warned. "Especially around you."

"Don't be such a child, Sakura-san!" Minoru exclaimed. "Not like that demon over there."

"Hey!" Potamos exclaimed.

Sakura looked thoughtfully at the elf. "Minoru-san... Can I ask you a question? And it's not about your cooking, because it's good."

The blond elf smiled, glad that his companion was beginning to feel better already. "Anything you want to know, Sakura-san," he said.

Her green eyes bore into his face. "Are you psychic?" she seriously asked.

The smiled faded from his face. "Why do you ask?" Minoru stated. His eyes turned slightly sharp. Potamos cocked her head to the side, confused.

Sakura looked down. "It seems that... Your senses for detecting enemies are abnormally strong."

"Well, it's true that they are a little sharper than that of a human," Minoru explained. "I am elf, after all. A slight touch of faun blood, but other than that..."

'Ah, fauns — those hot, mischievous males of the woods. That explains a lot,' Potamos mentally noted. 'Like satyrs, only gentler, unless they give you nightmares. Aaaargh, but his prudish elfin blood gets in the way when things get really good!'

"I know elves have heightened senses. But yours is different," Sakura said. "Because at odd intervals, you seem to tense up. And every time, right afterwards, someone — or something — shows up with a murderous intent for at least one of us. It's as if you have a mental alarm system when something is about to attack." Minoru did not answer. Sakura cocked an eyebrow at the grim look on his face. 'And it seems like I'm right,' Sakura thought with triumph.

Shivers went down the elf's spine — a mixture of awe, anger, and annoyance. Her analytical skills were better than he thought. Minoru breathed. "But there is a flaw in your theory, Sakura-san," the blond pointed out, his voice unnaturally calm. "You've witnessed plenty of times where I have been caught off-guard."

Sakura carefully thought, her eyes fixed on Minoru. "The run-in with the green-haired thief," she realized, biting her lip. "You didn't detect him."

He nodded.

Potamos' eagerness deflated. She had been following the conversation from the beginning, thrilled to see Sakura nail something down on Minoru. Anything to see the blond fall: a spar, an accusation... hell, even a match of Jankenpon. Yet Sakura's seemingly good hypothesis was only a temporary threat, which Minoru easily dodged. She should have known that a battle of wits between an elf and a human had an obvious outcome from the beginning.

"But," the kunoichi mumbled, "you didn't sense the thief — you _couldn't_ sense him — mainly because he never intended to kill us in the first attack. He was a thief, not a murderer. Yes, he tried to cleave my head open afterwards. But at the initial encounter, he used tranquilizer darts, and tied us up."

A muscle twitched in the corner of the elf's mouth.

Potamos' ears perked up. The fighter rises again!

The pink-haired girl gained momentum. "The confusion at the Ninja Mansion — you couldn't stop the boys, because they didn't know those weapons were painted with a lethal toxin," Sakura spouted out.

Minoru groaned. He certainly did not want to be reminded of THAT time, when he failed to protect Sakura — much less, admit it that it happened. "But Sakura-san... Have you already forgotten the eve of our first meeting?" he reminded her.

Sakura froze.

(( "Hmpf. I knew that there was something wrong with that last guard," Sakura said. "But the dwarf... I mean, the thing that attacked you... it turned into a statue rather than dirt."

"That was a ghost within a hollow shell. There are some advanced forms of magic that give temporary life to a statue of clay, which can be used as a killing machine." ))

"We fought rock golems two days ago, Sakura-san," Minoru continued. "An army of fifty-some, in fact. I only noticed them when they were in plain view of my eyes. In fact, you were the first to notice them."

Sakura thought back forty-eight hours. It was true: she had been the first to realize that moving statues were coming in their direction. Much earlier than Minoru, in fact. It was only after she performed some hand-seals when the elf asked her if something was wrong.

Minoru sighed. "I can't detect everything that aims to kill, Sakura-san. I'm not perfect." He got up, and began to walk away.

The sad look on his face did not escape Sakura's eyes. The kunoichi realized what she had just done. How could she have forgotten that evening? Minoru was nearly decapitated that time, and their friendship was forged as a result.

The kunoichi was so caught up in finding something new about him — and in the heat of things, it bordered on an accusation. At least, he seemed to think it so.

Potamos' eyes narrowed. "He's weird," she commented to Sakura. "Don't let him get to 'ya, Sacchan," she encouraged, patting her back. "Maybe... that night he was attacked, he faked it?"

"No way in hell," Sakura breathed. She remembered details of that night's fight: there was definite blood. His nerves were shot afterwards; his high heart-rate confirmed that. Sakura curled her legs up to her torso. "I thought I had figured something about him," she mumbled. "I guess I was wrong."

"Yeah, he does keep things to himself," the water-demon murmured. "Are ya okay, Sacchan?"

"I'll apologize to him later," Sakura said quietly. She wasn't even sure why she told Potamos this.

Minoru sighed in relief as he kicked the sand. 'That was too close,' he thought to himself.

* * *

Notes:

"Jankenpon" - rock, paper, scissors. Also simply known as "Janken".

CrissyKitty: yes, I am as eager as you to get to the good parts! I'm planning some drama — even before this story ends — so it will be a while. Plus, there's the thing with school...

Nocterayne-san: I feel with you. Although my experience wasn't as bad as yours, I myself have had the educational experience of incredibly rude, foul-mouthed, perverted, and very-much-unwanted stalkers in my eighth-grade year. Two of them, but that was enough. Yes, there are disturbing people in this world.


	39. Ghostly Touch

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 39: Ghostly Touch

* * *

Potamos squirmed uncomfortably as she walked through the high grasses. The hairs of the plants around her tickled her exposed legs. As the trio of Sakura, Minoru and Potamos traveled further, the environment grew more dead-like. The grass was turning yellow, and the tree-leaves wilted brown.

"I don't understand," Sakura said. "We're supposed to be getting nearer to the Tree of Life, aren't we? It's a wasteland here."

"The Tree of Life is in danger," Minoru breathed. "Who knows what Dryad is doing. The unicorn left us his horn, which is an item jam-packed with healing magic."

"Who's going to do the healing, Mino-chan?" Potamos asked.

"Probably the best healer in Frida Village — or at least, the most willing," the elf commented. "If no one comes, then I shall perform the task. Sakura-san could do it, if it came to that."

"Don't kid me," Sakura huffed. "I don't even know if I can. I can heal slight wounds on animals, sure. But I've never healed a plant before — and the Tree of Life must be huge."

"With the horn, you can," Minoru said. "Unicorn horn is one of the densest extracts of healing ki, enzymes and amino acids. With the right user, that horn is enough to heal at least two-hundred wounded soldiers."

Sakura halted. "What? Then... why didn't the unicorn use it, then?" she asked. "Couldn't he have used it on himself?"

"The unicorn wanted to save Dryad's presence in the Rifts," Minoru explained. "Even though he was a servant of Lumina, the creature also respected the balance of power between the different guardians. Apparently, every curve and curl of the horn was needed."

Potamos sniffed the air. There was a slight change in the atmosphere. "Mino-chan, I smell something."

Minoru and Sakura noticed it as well. "It smells of rotting flesh," Sakura commented, wrinkling her nose.

Minoru closed his eyes. Probing his incomplete mind, he looked for signs of another soul nearby.

There was none. Unless...

Sakura shoved Minoru away, and drove Tennyo into a tall something that rose up from the ground behind him.

Minoru glanced back, and he nearly collapsed from shock. Potamos had her hands over her mouth. She seemed paralyzed, with her yellow cat-eyes wide from awe.

It felt like an eternity for Sakura: she was looking directly in the face of a zombie. Tennyo was imbedded in a walking, dead body.

The half-covered skull grinned at Sakura. She immediately pulled the katana out of the body. The forcible yank brought crumbs of corpse flying into her face. "Get away!" she screamed, hacking off an arm in one clean swing.

The gray being produced an incoherent sound. With its still-intact arm, it threw a punch at Sakura. She blocked it with her wrist — and then realized it was nothing but bone, held together by random pieces of corrupt tendons, sinew and skin. She was touching it. Sakura pushed it away in horror.

Minoru chanted some lines, and a massive wall of vines caught the corpse and raised it up, like a crucifix. One spiked vine went through the zombie's chest, making it droop in total lifelessness.

The elf cursed as he looked around. "Devil-child, behind you!"

Potamos glanced back, and saw an even larger corpse raise an axe behind her. She screamed as she jumped away.

Sakura flicked her hands into the sequence. With a glowing sword in hand, she sliced the zombie's head off before it attacked Potamos again.

Meanwhile, the elf was trying to detect the main controller of the undead soldiers. Whoever it was, the caller was far away, and powerful. 'He must be at least a hundred meters away from us,' Minoru thought. 'I thought that the rock golems were something to be reckoned, but this is even more difficult...'

A hand crawling with maggots shot out of the earth. It grabbed at Sakura's heels, trying to pull her down. She kicked it away, and then realized that more of them were growing out.

"Oh, my, God..." Sakura panted.

An army of corpses erupted around them. There were at least one hundred in number.

"A graveyard," the blond elf hissed. Minoru shouted a few powerful lines, and his ivy grabbed a handful of zombies. About a third were forcefully pulled back into the grave. "Where in God's name is the caller!" he asked in frustration.

"Junpuu no Shihougiri!" Sakura yelled, making a green cross in the midst of undead. "Minoru-san, what do you mean, 'caller'?" she asked.

"There's a necromancer somewhere," Minoru explained. He punched some zombies away, while trying to scry the surrounding area for the culprit.

"I can't kill 'em!" Potamos screeched. Sakura looked back, and noticed that their attacks did not really kill the zombies. Her Shihoukiri had merely dismembered the living dead for a split-second before they clumsily knocked the limbs back into their proper places. Potamos could only freeze them, until they cracked away the layer of ice. Only Minoru's vines seemed to be effective, and he was now panting from the effort.

"Slice them apart, while I'll try to find the source," Minoru ordered.

Sakura gulped, and looked around at the herd slowly advancing on them. She cleared her mind, as the initial panic had already died. 'I feel anger... and bitter sadness...' True, Sakura was scared. Who wouldn't be, being attacked by soldiers who were supposed to be dead? But something was amiss.

She remembered reading about zombies: these things had souls that never fulfilled themselves while they were still alive. As they did not do anything useful in their life on earth, they had little hope at an afterlife. Necromancers gave them something of a second chance, and the living dead usually accepted — to prove themselves useful. Useful to someone. Anyone.

Sakura pulled out a scroll from a case, hung by strings around her shoulders. She tried to remember where she had put her jutsu-equations that related to spiritual matters. 'Where did it say something about spirit-sealing!' she frantically asked herself. 'Wait a sec, sealing is too complex; I need something more suited to my level...'

Fumbling with the scroll, the kunoichi rolled part of it out over her left arm, now and then pausing to slice apart or kick away the undead puppets. For a while, she did well holding back the zombies while looking through her notes.

As if on cue, the wooden holder broke, and the entire scroll rolled apart on the ground like toilet paper. An obscenity escaped Sakura's lips.

"Sacchan, we don't have TIME for that!" Potamos yelled. As anybody who was not a bookworm knew, a battle was hardly the best condition for studying. The water-demon threw a shower of icy water in one direction, making the zombies freeze into statues.

One arm burst out of the ground and grabbed at the scroll. The hand instantly was stabbed through by Tennyo. "Don't touch my notes!" the pink-haired girl snarled. Sakura crouched down and quickly gathered the scroll back together, forcing the rotting hands back underground where they belonged. "Ugh," Sakura exhaled, evading another swing. 'These poor bastards,' the kunoichi thought as she rolled the papyrus back together. 'Talk about fate worse than death. At least I came up with a basic jutsu to calm down spirits.'

Sakura's hands performed a total of seven hand-seals. A warm, pink aura began to radiate from her body.

What was remaining of the standing zombies raised their fists and weaponry against Sakura's still form — and hesitated. Some were repulsed by her presence. A few simply stayed.

Minoru's wristband began to pulse over a crack in the ground. It was here. The elf reached down in the hollow and pulled out a grayish, fruit-like object. Within three seconds of holding it, the elf dropped it with a wince. It was too powerful. 'Now that was rather stupid of me,' he inwardly scoffed. Minoru then attempted to thrust the object through with a vine. It was too dense. He growled. 'So necromancers are making anti-elf toys. How smart of them.'

The blond elf then noticed the lack of fighting going on around him. Did Sakura and Potamos cut the rest of them down, at least temporarily?

Minoru saw what state the kunoichi was in. Sakura had her hands folded together in a seal, a pink glow outlining the frame of her body.

An idea occurred to him. "Sakura-san!" Minoru yelled, making her green eyes open. "Use that charm on this object here — it's controlling these corpses! I think it's some sort of new invention of a necromancer!"

"Be right with you, Minoru-san!" Sakura performed a spinning roundhouse on the still zombies around her, and put a burst of chakra into her legs. As she ran, her hands flicked into the sequence again — but this time, she focused the aura into her hands.

'Oh, I PRAY to the gods that this works,' Minoru thought to himself.

Sakura put her hands together into the final hand-seal. Slowly, she unfolded it to reveal a crackling wisp of pink light. The girl knelt down to the pulsing rock, and directed the aura to flow into it.

The stone gave an angry zap at Sakura. She cried out.

A black aura sprouted out from the rock, and enveloped the girl in a wave of ghastly coldness. Minoru was pushed away from the blast, while Sakura was trapped inside.

The elf yelled in pain as his body was shot away. "SAKURA-SAN!"

He attempted to run back and pull Sakura away from the cursed talisman — but he was blasted away again from the force. "Damn my elfin body!" he snarled.

Sakura, meanwhile, felt as if all of her nerves were grated all at once. An image of a terrible nothingness flashed through her mind. It was a total emptiness: no emotions, no images — not even memories.

Then, inhumane screeches rung in her ears. A few random phrases shot towards her, like sounds of ice stabbing into her ears.

_'Get out, you lowly human!'_

A different voice rung — instead of rage, it was full of despair. 'Help us, for the love of God!' There were other voices crying. 'Please... have mercy on us,' someone else pleaded. 'We just want to rest...'

'What?' Sakura thought. But before she could listen more carefully, another zap of chakra drowned out the voices, replacing them with the first demonic shout of laughter.

_''You're nothing but a weakling! Get out, before your soul joins them.'_

Sakura ground her teeth. That voice must have been the necromancer's, playing through his new remote control. Little did he know that she was not one to give up on a fight.

Sakura kept her hands over the object, holding on with every drop of will in her veins. The energy she used was slightly different than what she created in her other jutsu. It was a calming technique. It worked in a similar manner to a genjutsu, except that instead of creating disturbing images, it cleansed them out.

"Let them go," Sakura whispered harshly. Her bright green eyes locked onto the cursed rock, which seemed to morph into the shape of a human skull.

_'Don't even try, girl, or I SHALL KILL YOU!'_

Righteous indignation rose in Sakura. Fear banished from her. "I'm telling you... leave these bodies in PEACE!" she shot back.

The power in her increased in strength, overcoming the foreign energy.

The stone cracked. The energy dissipated into thin air.

Sakura's aura glowed downed. Clutching her chest, she took in breaths of fresh air. She glanced up to witness the spell's effect.

The zombies lowered their weapons. They turned toward Sakura. The kunoichi nervously grasped the hilt of her sword.

Instead of attacking her, the undead beings gave her toothy grins, and began to walk back into the earth. The kunoichi sank on top of the crumbled ground in exhaustion.

Minoru ran to her side, taking hold her shoulders. "Sakura-san!" He lightly shook her.

"Minoru-san," Sakura said, her breath shallow, "where's Potamos?"

The elf heavily breathed as he observed the tired look on her face. Even after that, she was worried about the devil-child. Even when her soul had been in danger of joining the ranks of those undead puppets, threatened with a living death, Sakura could still...

Tears began to form in his blue eyes. He had almost lost Sakura. Without hesitation, Minoru embraced her. "From now on, I'm your big brother," he whispered into her ear.

Sakura was confused. "What?"

'You're growing up too quickly,' Minoru thought, 'just like that damnable bastard in your own world.'

Potamos coughed as she staggered towards the two, nearly gagging. "That's... what a rotting corpse looks like?" she weakly asked.

Minoru looked at her. "You've never seen one before?" he stated. He was very surprised that she had a look of horror on her face. "I thought you liked blood," the elf commented.

"I like killing _fresh_. Just not... _that_ stuff," Potamos mumbled.

Minoru remembered that the purple-haired girl was a demon, whose kind melted into nature at the moment of death. Celestials were familiar with the concept of death, but not necessarily its image. A rotting corpse could register negatively to an angel or demon's psyche if they had little experience in seeing them. No wonder Potamos had seemed rather scared and immobile during the fight with the slow-moving monsters.

"Well, that confirms that something normal is in you after all," Minoru said. He pulled out a piece of cloth from his supplies, and wrapped it around the broken pieces of the necromancer-rock. He chanted some words over the bundle — a net of golden aura wove itself around, magically sealing it.

"We have to show this to the village elder in Frida," he stated, putting the bundle in his bag. "Such an active item so near the Energy Spring of Dryad — it's almost ludicrous. Something definitely is wrong."

Sakura coughed. She moaned in pain.

"Sacchan, are you okay?" Potamos asked in worry.

"Her spiritual energy reserves are drained," Minoru said, cradling Sakura closer to him. "We need to get to Frida."

* * *

Sasuke turned over uncomfortably on his bed. His curse seal was itching again. He ordered himself to calm down.

'You are Orochimaru's beloved servant,' something whispered.

Control.

'Go to him, now!' it further urged.

Control.

'You will regret it if you don't.'

What control?

Sasuke gulped. That stupid urge to go crawling to Orochimaru fascinated him whenever his curse seal acted up. Thankfully, there was one absolute defense against this.

He thought of the one person who started this hell for him: Uchiha Itachi. A flash of Sharingan eyes and a long trenchcoat crossed Sasuke's mind. With a renewed sense of hate, the discomfort of the black mark went away.

The prodigy, now fourteen, touched the strange mark on the side of his neck. He sighed in relief. It was stable again. Good God, was he really thinking ten seconds ago that he just _might_ want to serve Orochimaru all his life?

It so was bizarre. The same hate which drove him to survive Orochimaru's bite, successfully tempted him to achieve its second level, and join the Sound — that hate protected him from the full effects of the curse. Itachi's memory was his trump card for sanity.

Yes, sanity. Although Sasuke did slightly become mental when he thought about Itachi, at least he remained in control of his own will. The thought of his brother's existence in this world banished ideas of suicide and self-torture, or to submit completely to Orochimaru's will. There was one goal of Sasuke — to kill that man — and it kept him going.

Sasuke tried to avoid thinking about the aftermath of his ambitions. If he succeeded in killing Itachi, and impregnated some random girl... He would have no more reason to live. He wanted to die in peace when it was all over. He would be tired of living an empty life.

Thanks to Itachi, Sasuke had a reason to live. It was a low existence, yes. But it was AN existence. Carrying out justice, and striking down a dangerous criminal: what better duty could a ninja ask for?

"Shit," the raven-haired boy breathed. There was a tiny hint of dreaming overcoming him. This seemed to happen whenever he was having trouble falling asleep. The hope might possibly coincide with his ambitions. But it was a low possibility indeed. Sasuke thought that maybe... he could be more-or-less content with life. To be happy.

But that hope was immediately squelched out as he logically pondered it. Why should he hope for happiness, when it was impossible by definition? He was Uchiha Sasuke, for crying out loud.

Besides, plenty of people were unhappy. One did not need a murderous sibling to be incurably miserable.

'I have to invest all my work and luck in killing Itachi,' Sasuke resolved. 'That is my duty towards the Uchiha clan. It is my EXISTENCE.'

As an afterthought, Sasuke added: 'It would take a miracle to make ME happy.'

Up above the mountain, a tengu chuckled quietly. 'This will be more interesting than I first thought,' he mused before he warped out of the air. 'Man, what a screwed-up family, to say the least.'

* * *

A guard yawned. He stood in front of Frida Village, facing the sunset. The man was glad that he had this side of the high fence. The opposite side of the village faced the increasingly gloomy depths of the Rifts — in the direction of Shadow, which had strengthened unnaturally over the past years.

The man noticed a small traveling party come down over the hills. He was about to shout out, when his elfin colleague put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look closely at them before you welcome them," the elf quietly said. He possessed straight, platinum-blond hair, slicked back over his head.

The human guard observed them from a distance, confused at his companion's rather cold demeanor. "A blond elf... with two girls. I can't tell their races."

"Beware the one with lavender hair," the elf crisply said. "She looks like a demon."

"A demon?" his human friend asked nervously.

"Pardon us, please!" Minoru yelled from afar. "We seek food and lodging. There is also something important to discuss with the head elder."

The elfin guard put on a grim face. "Travelers?" he asked in a cool manner, as the party clumsily walked up to the gate. "What business do you have in these dangerous parts?"

A weak smile crept over Minoru's face. "Dear God. Brother, have you already forgotten me?"

Realization dawned on the guard's face.

"Minoru?" he croaked out after a long silence.

He was answered with a sheepish grin.

"My God — Minoru, you're safe!" the elf laughed, grabbing his younger brother's shoulders in order to embrace him.

And then, he stopped. He carefully observed Minoru. He let go calmly, and opened his mouth to say something — but nothing came out. For a while.

Before Sakura and Potamos knew it, Minoru was punched directly in the forehead by his older brother.

"YOU COMPLETE IMBECILE!" he screamed. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH FATHER HAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU THESE PAST THREE OR FOUR DECADES?"

"Bro, please be reasonable," Minoru said, rubbing his forehead.

"SILENCE!" the older elf roared. "All these years, and you give just a passing message through the mirror whenever you feel like it! Honestly: joining a gang after the war was already a crazy stunt in itself, COMPLETELY DISGRACEFUL FOR AN ELF, but then you have the NERVE to live in Minerva without any mention whatsoever of what's happening to you!"

"Nothing that was WORTH MENTIONING happened!" Minoru argued.

"Um, excuse me," Sakura said, interrupting with an annoyed cough. "If you two elves could kindly do your family-bonding later, I kind of need some help with my aura. And we're on official business regarding the Tree of Life."

Minoru's brother grimaced. "Is this true?" he hissed towards the blond elf.

"Very true. I can even speak it in ancient elvish if you are still drowned in skepticism," Minoru chirped.

"Fine, fine," the guard mumbled. He turned to the girls. "However," — he pointed to Potamos — "SHE stays out of the village."


	40. Restrictions

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own 'The Masochism Tango'. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 40: Restrictions

* * *

"This is so stupid," Sakura muttered as she rolled out one of her scrolls. She and Minoru were currently in the house of the village elder, waiting for him to arrive. "I can't believe... I mean, I sort of don't blame them for being afraid of Potamos but — it's so stupid!"

"They're extra careful around Frida village," Minoru sighed. "Especially now with the Tree of Life dying."

"Whatever," Sakura growled. "Once this tree business is done and we pack supplies, I say we go. I don't want to sleep in an inn while Potamos is camping outside with guards watching her every move."

"I'll try talking to the village elder about it," the elf said, although personally he highly doubted it would work. Minoru pondered a little, trying to think of what could possibly convince the elves to let Potamos in. He began to snicker softly. "Who knows? If I camp outside with you two ladies, it might make the village elder embarrassed to leave a former resident out in the cold."

"But you've not been here for... nearly fifty years," Sakura mumbled. "You're not a resident anymore."

"They know fully well who I am, believe me," Minoru said with a tiny smirk.

Sakura frowned. "You joined a gang. You never told me about _that_, Minoru-san."

The elf tilted his head back. "That decision in my life was sort of an impulse. The group had more honorable endeavors than other bandits, which convinced me to join them. They took a mission on themselves that even the elves refused to participate in. In my opinion, that lot of outcasts actually did something useful in the Rifts." Minoru sighed, thinking back to the memories.

'So that's why he knows how to fight with knives,' Sakura pondered. Normally, elves did not battle with daggers, as they usually specialized in the bow and arrow. "What happened with the group, anyway? Did you just leave it?"

"When we finally banished a psychopathic sorcerer, it disbanded," said Minoru." I went off to Minerva, and decided to make it my home."

"You left your family for nearly FIFTY YEARS," the kunoichi stated. She looked at him. "Minoru-san... how could you do that?" she sadly asked.

"The village gave me a forty-year banishment after I was first sighted with the group of thieves." Then his tone became more harse, even bitter. "Even when we succeeded in defeating a menace, Frida Village was ashamed that I had helped out a group of runaway humans. So the ban continued. The only reason they want to 'generously' welcome me back now is because of my satisfactory level in plant magic."

Sakura stared at Minoru. Saying that his powers in plant magic was at a 'satisfactory level' was something of an understatement.

The elf's voice shook as he went on. "Those forty years, I was not allowed to see my family. Any contact at all was limited to letters and mirror communication. I did not mind when I was with the gang — they were like a second family to me. We disbanded in a good nature. But when I was able to freely talk with my brothers again... I could not stand the looks of disappointment in their faces."

He paused to breathe, realizing that he was losing his composure. "I practiced medicinal alchemy in Minerva, and worked with the healers there. I met Momoko and Yousuke later. I earned enough to get my own secluded house. You could say that I forced myself to forget my family — and it worked."

Sakura did not know what to say. 'That's terrible,' she thought. According to the numbers, Minoru's exile ended six years ago — and he still had avoided to call them or even visit them. 'He still loves his family, and they him. It was too obvious with his brother's passionate outburst. But they all are too proud...'

A maid walked into the room. "The head elder shall welcome you now," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Minoru answered curtly. His voice held a tinge of bitterness. 'Calm down,' he thought, 'showing anger doesn't help in diplomacy.'

* * *

Scarlett massaged the sides of her temple. There was a threat growing near the Tree of Life. She had contacted Frida Village, and found out that Minoru's party had just arrived. And just escaped — what was it called again? — oh, a Necromancer's Pomegranate. Sakura was definitely the smart girl, focusing on wind-magic and gentle exorcism.

The love-angel bit her pink lips in nervousness. Although Sakura was advancing, she was still limited in terms of experience, and knowledge. There was always the possibility that she would die by a simple flesh-wound on this trip through the Rifts. The hardest part of the journey would be Shadow. Even though Shadow was not considered evil per se — just like Death was not evil — entering and leaving it safely required a highly-skilled guide.

Indeed, if it were not for that attack in the Ninja Mansion, Scarlett would have recommended Sakura to wait four years until the wormhole opened to the Ninja World. The celestials of that dimension seemed to be having some problems, and Sakura just might prove to be of assistance.

'They said something about a previous Fourth Hokage who died,' Scarlett thought to herself. 'And a Priestess of Hearts, or something? I wonder if Sakura is going to make rivals or friends with whatever warriors they have...'

Scarlett then realized that she was letting her thoughts wander only to Sakura's potential. That potential meant nothing if she turned out dead. This unexpected turn of events in the Rifts might prove too much for the young kunoichi. The angel shook her head, and looked at where the nearest portal near Frida Village would open.

She frowned at the screen of the computer monitor. 'I'll need Angel Linton, with two assistants,' Scarlett calculated. 'One of them should be... Amano Takuji.' The love-angel bit her lip. 'I'd better brace myself for Hinagiku. She'll freak out when I ask her to let her son carry out a mission in the Rifts. I just don't know whether she'd want to hug me or kill me.'

As an afterthought, she pondered to herself: 'Why do I give nearly-impossible challenges to my teammates' offspring? People must think I'm a sadist.'

She grinned.

'Then again, no pain, no gain.'

* * *

A group of guards were whispering with each other. "Is she allowed to do that?"

"Well, no blood-lust so far..."

"Get your weapons ready, even if the other isn't a villager."

Potamos stepped up to a young girl, looking about fifteen years of age.

"Okay, I bow, and you curtsy," the water-demon ordered. She took the girl's hand.

The soldiers tensed up.

Amazingly — at least, to the guards — Potamos began instructing the wood-nymph how to dance. "And... one, two, three. One, two, three. Sweet!"

It was so strange to see the purple-haired girl helping a peaceful nymph to waltz. A water-demon, of all dance instructors. Moreover, why did the nymph want to dance? The numbers of her kind were dwindling, ever since the Tree of Life began to show signs of wilting. They had no reason to be happy — this was the basic logic among some of the guards. The more experienced soldiers knew better: that one had to find something good, even in hopeless cases.

The brown-haired nymph stepped on Potamos' toe.

"Owie!" the water-demon exclaimed.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the nymph squeaked.

Potamos giggled. "Aw, don't worry! I don't kill over things like that. Try again."

"Why are you dancing?" one guard asked in a rather shaky tone. His loud voice startled the wood-nymph, who was nervous enough with taking dancing lessons from a water-demon. Indeed, the shy nymph had not noticed that the guards were living beings — she initially thought they were statues. Afterall, they were still for most of the time.

Potamos, meanwhile, simply grinned. "C'mon, you dance — because it's just FUN!" She turned back to her student. "Okay, now the Tango! Since it's night an' all."

"I was asking the nymph — not you, demon spawn!" he exclaimed. "...Hey, aren't you listening?"

Potamos paid no heed to the guard. She was singing 'The Masochism Tango' — a capella, solo, into the night.

"I ache for the touch of your lips, dear,

But much more for the touch of your whips, dear,

You can raise welts

Like nobody else,

As we dance to the Masochism Tango."

The wood-nymph was a little grossed out at first, but she began to sweetly giggle at the morbid humor of the lyrics.

Potamos looked back at the guards, who were now becoming extremely uncomfortable. "Oh, come on, you guys have NO sense of humor," she snorted. She let go of the wood-nymph, and walked over to one of the men, smiling sweetly. "Why don'cha join us? Don't worry, I won't bite — unless, of course, you want me to." She lowered down, showing more of the cleavage nestling in her red fairy dress.

The human guard drew out his sword, and pointed it at her face. "Don't come near me, wench," the man hissed, his face incredibly red. To his amazement, she did not flinch. He saw that her eyes were yellow with cat-like pupils. His grasp of the weapon turned shaky and hesitant.

Potamos licked her lips, sensing his mixture of fear and arousal. She turned around, and calmly walked away. He wasn't worth fussing over. Besides, the elfin guards could shoot her anytime — she could not do anything too risqué, and bring about trouble.

"Oh, one more point," Potamos said quietly to the wood-nymph sitting on the ground. "When you find a guy who likes you — take a hold of 'm, and HOLD ON."

The wood-nymph raised her eyebrows. "Take a hold?" she asked innocently.

An evil grin spread on Potamos' face. "When he's within your grasp, you can make him do ANYTHING YOU WANT..." She giggled, while the brown-haired nymph pondered what that exactly meant.

"Okay, that's not 'demon-evil'," one human guard commented through his teeth. "That's just... pure... evil."

"Oh, come on," his elfin friend said, passing him, "it is completely obvious that you like to observe them — in conversation, and picture." His voice went down into a hush. "To be more precise, you _fancy_ that darling nymph, don't you? You WANT the water-demon to nudge her out of her innocence, and you just finish the push..."

"SHUT-UP!"

Potamos and the wood-nymph looked up with a startled expression, only to see the guards snickering to themselves, with one embarrassed man turned away.

Minoru's brother let his forehead collapse into his hands as he watched the scene. 'Brother, I commend you for putting up with such a demon.'

"Naoharu-san, good evening," a voice greeted from behind him. Haruno Sakura. Naoharu turned his head, and nodded quietly to acknowledge her presence. "Is Potamos okay?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"Greetings," the blond elf said simply. "You've tamed that thing well."

A vein pulsed strongly in Sakura's neck. "Potamos is not a 'thing'," she said in a low tone. 'This guy's name is supposed to mean 'shining spring'? My ass.'

Naoharu noticed the amount of anger Sakura repressed within her. "Please do not misunderstand," he said soothingly. "It was an impulse. Elves have a habit of addressing any race as things. It is our culture to acknowledge Nature and the great powers higher than individual beings."

Sakura said nothing in return as she walked past Naoharu. He noticed that she had her backpack of supplies with her. "What are you doing with that bag?" the elf asked.

"It's our tent," she answered back. He cocked an eyebrow as she walked toward the forest — and then the full meaning of her words registered to him. She was going to camp outside a village.

"Our house is open to you," Naoharu said, catching up with the quickly-walking Sakura. "We cannot allow a guest of ours to stay outside the gates! Especially a friend of Minoru —"

"What about Potamos?" Sakura casually challenged, not turning around. "By village law, no demons or undead creatures are allowed within your gates. Therefore, I shall stay with her tonight. Minoru will sleep in your father's house."

Naoharu looked baffled. "The water-demon needs no protection," he stated. "Even when she's not in a battle-mood, her ki level is so high. She's perfectly fine on her own. You do not have to —"

"Minoru-san personally asks you to keep watch over our tent tonight," Sakura said calmly. "Forgive us for being an extra burden to your normal duties. I promise to cause you no trouble."

Sakura turned her head, and her green eyes showed an oddly-familiar stubbornness to Naoharu. Something clicked in his mind. 'So this is what Minoru saw in her. Now that I see her personality... her resemblance to Emerald is nearly surreal.' The elf nervously brushed a loose stray of his white-blond hair away from his face. 'Minoru, I hope you're not doing anything ridiculous for her sake. Then again, you already are; you're accompanying her through the Rifts.'

"To the right," he said behind her.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"The grass over to the right is better to pitch a tent on," Naoharu explained. "Avoid the forest. The monsters there are for us to deal with." Sakura gave him a suspicious glance. He sighed. "Oh, for heaven's sake... I cannot change the village law for you, and I cannot change your will — but the least I can do is to protect you!"

"Oh... thank you," Sakura quietly said, understanding his position. She gave a wry smile. "Although, Potamos and I can help if you can't handle a monster coming this way."

"I am very sure you will, if it ever comes to that," Naoharu said. He gave a fond smile to the kunoichi, and proceeded to help her set up the tent.

"So... Sakura-san," he said, striking up conversation, "Do you receive any good dreams from Minoru?" Sakura brushed some dirt off her hands, and looked at Naoharu in puzzlement. The elf sighed. "Oh, I see," Naoharu said. "Of course, most dreams are forgotten... But they do impact on how you sleep and digest information from the previous day."

"Wait, wait," Sakura said. "What do you mean, 'dreams from Minoru'?"

"My brothers and I — we all have a slight touch of faun blood from our mother's side. Within our family, Minoru is probably is the most faun-like. A sharp wit, tricks, leaving his home to play a wannabe Robin Hood... But most of all, his twisted sixth sense."

'So he DOES have a sixth sense after all!' Sakura thought with a cheer.

"It is well-known that elves are good at sensing danger," Naoharu said. "Some of the strongest elves are even telepathic. But it appears to be that Minoru got some faun abilities mixed together with his elfin sixth sense."

"I remember reading about fauns," Sakura said. "What are they again?"

"They are woodland creatures with the legs, ears, and tail of a deer, and the face and body of a handsome youth. They can be quite cheerful at times." Naoharu twitched. "In other words, complete imbeciles."

The kunoichi grinned; Naoharu talked about fauns in the same attitude Sasuke had towards Naruto. 'Well, used to, anyway...'

"The darker side of them," Naoharu continued, "is that if they hold a grudge on someone, they can cause nightmares."

The girl paled slightly. "Nightmares?"

Naoharu laughed. "Do not fret," he said. "Minoru has tact, even though his definition of tact is rather... blurry at times. Ever since he was little, he sometimes bribed us with good-dream potions to get out of a pinch, or forgive him for some moronic deed of his. The mixtures worked, actually; our head elder even confirmed it. Right now, Minoru is probably advanced enough to do it without medicinal alchemy."

"So... he only gives good dreams," the kunoichi said slowly. "...Right?"

"He's not the type to give nightmares," Naoharu mused. "He tried it a few times when we were young, but he immediately quit when one of us woke up crying. Minoru doesn't like to inflict pain to those who are close to him."

Sakura gave a weak smile. "Now that I think back... I think that last night, I dreamed of being home again." Sakura hugged her knees to her chest. "Minoru-san is a wonderful older brother. He's doing so much for me."

Naoharu pondered on these words. "Did Minoru tell you that?" he asked Sakura.

"Yes. He told me this morning... that I was his little sister from now on." A tiny pang went through the young lady's chest. 'He ONLY thinks of me as his sister,' she sadly thought.

The elf straightened his bow, and got up from the ground. "The night grows dark. It is time for you to rest. I shall call the water-demon forth, and will watch over both of you."

* * *

Notes:

"The Masochism Tango" - song written and sung by Tom Lehrer.

I seemed to have forgotten to give the full definitions of names! Here they are:

"Minoru" - 'fruit' or 'truth'. I just thought that it was a good name for an elf with plant magic. It is an actual guy's name, by the way.

"Potamos" - Greek for 'river'.


	41. The Subconscious

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a cross-over with Wedding Peach.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 41: The Subconscious

* * *

Minoru sat on a sleeping couch. His sleeping couch, for that matter. A gentle knock came at the door, which jerked him out of his trance. "Come in," he said.

The door opened, and an elf strode in. His hair was a straight, nearly-white mane, and the facial features were rather grim. "We need to talk."

Minoru sighed. "Yes, Father. If it's about my flight from this village, then I am willing to tell you all the reasons."

"That's not necessary," the older one replied. "That I already understand."

Minoru frowned, distrustful of his father. He had to keep himself from sneering. Understand? That was a simple word the older elf chanted out to remain civil. At least his father still knew the ancient spell for keeping the peace: manners.

"You understand?" the son asked quietly. "Strange, how I wasn't allowed to watch over Sakura and Potamos the previous night."

"Your brothers are serving them a full breakfast, in response to their good behavior," the elder replied. He looked out the window. Not facing Minoru, he continued, "I want to ask you, as a father to a son: what is your relationship to the rose-haired child? She is a human."

Minoru lightly raised a halting hand. "Please do not jump to conclusions," he said in a low tone. "I care for her, and I want her to be happy, but not necessarily in that way."

"And yet you are trying to do a terrible crime, for her sake," the ancient elf said, his voice like silk. "I saw what kind of enchantment you did with the mirror last night. And it was certainly not a communication spell to Angel Salvia."

Minoru stiffened. He turned around, glaring at his father. "What I do with magic is _none_ of your business."

"If you go on doing this, the result is far worse than murder," the father shot back. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for what Minoru would say at his next comment, which was very harsh indeed. "You are only trying to do justice for Emerald, when she is already passed."

Minoru turned away. A mixture of grief and anger was in his face. "What do you know about justice? How _dare_ you speak of your only daughter like that?" He rubbed his blue eyes, acting as if it were only drowsiness that made his eyes crunch shut. "Just because we were not related does not mean..."

The father sighed. "You know well that I loved her as equally as your brothers. I still miss her gentle smile. But both she and your mother would grieve if they knew what you were doing. A man on Earth once said, 'the highest justice is the highest injustice.' You must let go of the past, Minoru."

"For an elder of this village, you are well acquainted with the history of human thought," Minoru coolly replied. "But I can rival that. Another man said, 'Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat itself.' I have my own history — I've lived it, witnessed it — and I will certainly not allow the same thing to happen to Sakura."

"Your way is not the right one," the older elf said, with a sage-like wisdom that was both firm and sad. "You are little over a century old, and you still act like a spoiled child. If you do not stop, you will fall into—"

"I am doing it for Sakura's _happiness_," Minoru resolved. He then could not resist the next comment: "Besides, Father, what would _you_ know about love? Mother left us."

"ELF OF THE VINES!" the father said in a rumble, which caused Minoru to flinch. "Listen to me for once, before you ruin your forged friendships! I know how Emerald died, so do not question my knowledge about love!"

Minoru blinked. His sapphire eyes seemed to turn hollow and dead as he stared up at his father. "How... she died," he repeated. "Emerald."

"Yes, I know," his father continued, his voice growing calmer by the second. "I used a scrying spell immediately after that battle, to at least understand why you left us. It did not give me all the details, but it was enough. As for your work with the mirror: I am giving you a final warning to cease those activities, before Sakura finds out."

"You wouldn't dare," Minoru hissed. The nervousness and anger oozed out of his voice, like dark molasses.

"Oh, no," his father replied coolly. "I will not tell the child anything. Instead, you will stop on your own, or she will find out by herself. I foresee it." Without another word, he left, his robe brushing up a swirl of dust from the floor.

Minoru sat, rooted to his bed. His eyes lingered on the dust, wafting into a swirl until it settled back on the ground.

The elf tightened his lips. His cerulean eyes turned steel cold. Minoru had only one way to channel his bitter memories away, and it was simply too convenient. 'Father has no RIGHT to tell me what to do. I am not a child anymore; this wristband proves it!'

'Besides,' Minoru reasoned, 'my victim is a lost cause. He's no more useful than a toy.'

* * *

Sakura yawned as she walked through the forest. She was with the party of Minoru, his father, a healer, and four guards of Frida Village. Naoharu was among the soldiers.

Sakura latched onto Minoru's sleeve, tired. This walk was boring without Potamos around. The water-demon had been excluded, as bringing her into this sacred area was also against village law.

"Sakura-san," the elf mumbled in a low voice. "I know that you are still weary from yesterday's fiasco, but this is the sacred tree of our guardian spirit. At least try to _appear _awake."

"I know," the kunoichi murmured. "It's just so tempting to let my guard down when I have all these beautiful, strong people around." The girl lifted up a sweet smile to Minoru, and giggled. "I feel like a princess!"

The elf raised an eyebrow, and poked Sakura in the waist. She yelped. "Sakura-san, you let your guard down. And you're supposed to be a ninja!" he teased. "You may know a pressure-point or two, but I know all the areas of ticklishness." Sakura gave him a mild smack on his shoulder with her palm. "Hey!" he exclaimed.

Minoru's father gave a smile as he observed the scene.

The group stopped at a large, brown wall. As Sakura looked up, she realized that it was the trunk of a massive tree. Instinctively, she reached for the bundled unicorn horn in her cloak.

* * *

Potamos sat Indian-style in the grass. She was totally bored.

"You'll catch cold if you sit on the grass without a blanket," one guard pointed out.

"I'm a water-demon; my body's a little different from yours," Potamos replied cheerfully.

After a minute, she got up. The girl looked at a tree, and decided to sprint up the trunk. Once she was in the foliage, she looked around the landscape, or at least as much as she could see.

She caught sight of some gold hair below. "Mino-chan!" she exclaimed.

Sure enough, the blond elf walked out, with Sakura and the rest of the group following.

Potamos carefully jumped down the trees, and landed in front of Minoru and Sakura. "Well?" she asked.

Minoru's face was grim. Sakura looked downcast. As for the elfin guards — they looked normal.

A look of frustration passed the demon's face. "Oh, no, don't tell me..."

"It worked," Minoru sighed.

A weird pause ensued.

Minoru's face cracked into a grin, and Sakura burst out laughing.

"Frida Village will probably hold a celebration tonight," Minoru's father said. "And, Water-demon, we'll hold part of it outdoors, so you'll be able to join us."

Potamos looked stunned for a moment — and then clapped her hands together in glee. "GET READY TO PARTY!" she exclaimed.

Minoru reached into his cloak, and pulled out a thin object. He displayed an energy-collector to Potamos, which was full of green ether. "Look what else we've got. The Energy Spring of Dryad was not far from the Tree of Life." The elf tucked it back in his pocket, and then began to walk away from the group.

"Minoru, will you be attending the ceremony?" Minoru's father asked.

"Only for a sort while," the blond elf answered. "I'm not fond of parties except as a ritual."

* * *

A raven-haired boy crouched down. There was blackness everywhere.

"Sasuke-kun?" a hesitant voice echoed.

Sasuke moaned an incoherent answer in the dark. His voice was full of pain. Unintelligible. Pitiful.

The boy sat in the corner, trying to comprehend what was going on. It was pitch dark; he was not able to see anything. The only thing he knew was that something hurt. It hurt terribly. He could not help but groan.

The feminine voice sounded gentle, so familiar.

Sasuke felt a soft touch on his back. He turned around, and saw Sakura grip the fabric on the back of his shirt.

That's right. Sakura stopped him from going berserk when his curse first acted up — only that it had been more intimate when she hugged him back then. Not this lax tug. Why was that? Moreover, why did he notice this shift?

"Sasuke-kun?" she repeated.

The answer was pretty much automatic by now. "Don't bother me."

Sakura smiled wryly, and let go of him. "Sure," she replied, backing away. The young man was rather surprised, but relieved that she understood the concept of 'personal space'. Actually, she learned it long ago, especially after the battle with Gaara.

(( "...Sasuke-kun... thank you. You saved me again that time, when I was trapped by the sand."

"...No," Sasuke answered.

"Huh?"

"...The one who saved you was Naruto." ))

The girl kept walking away, the pink hair swirling around her neck. As she was the only source of light around, the darkness began to swallow the raven-haired boy again. The pain was growing back.

"Um, wait," Sasuke mumbled. He realized that she paid him no heed. "Wait!" he repeated. He stumbled up, and ran to catch up with her. "Sakura!"

Sakura ran faster. It was as if she wanted to get away from him.

The kunoichi tripped over something. She turned to look at her leg. A rotten, bony hand grasped around her ankle. A look of horror passed her features, and she kicked it away.

Sasuke's breath seemed trapped in his throat. A mob of corpses drifted out the darkness, aiming towards both of them.

The boy snarled, punching and kicking away the undead puppets. He ran towards Sakura — it was sort of an old habit of his in dreaming. Forget about strategy and all that. He reached her, grabbing her hand.

At that moment, an incoherent exclamation passed Sakura's lips. Her brilliant green eyes widened for a moment. The girl coughed out a mouthful of blood.

A bloody, gnarled hand stuck out of her chest. A corpse was holding her from behind. Its skull grinned in triumph next to her paling face. It proceeded to pull her back. Sakura's eyes closed in rest. Her body fell into the darkness, joining the dead.

The raven-haired boy collapsed onto the cold ground. There was a long silence. Loneliness, nothingness, emptiness.

Sasuke broke the void with a yell of pure agony. He couldn't do anything: he was too slow, too weak.

Curling up into a fetal position, the once-proud Uchiha sobbed. He couldn't cry in real life. But he could in his dreams. How strange.

Maybe it was a good thing that he never remembered dreams when he woke up.

"You pathetic wretch," a mellow voice laughed.

A sound of shattering echoed — and the dream warped out of existence.

* * *

Minoru pulled his hand away from the mirror quickly. His spell was interrupted by a sharp noise. This was the first time his enchantment broke from an outside influence. The elf turned around to its source.

Sakura stood at the mouth of the door. Spilled wine, with the remains of a crystal glass dotting about, lay in a splattered mess at her feet. On the human girl's face was plastered a look of horror. "Minoru-san," she croaked out.

The elf closed his eyes. "Sakura-san. I can explain if you calm down."

"Go ahead, then," Sakura answered in a quavering voice. She had first come into the room to give Minoru some wine from the party, as he did not show up. He was not exactly the one for social occasions, but Sakura felt inclined to give him something. But instead of meeting his warm face, she found him standing in front of a mirror, his hand imbedded in it — the surface had an image of Sasuke clutching his head, screaming in pain.

"You've been giving Sasuke nightmares," Sakura whispered.

Minoru gave a sad smile. "You understand that much. I presume that Naoharu told you about the deformity in my elfin sense."

"Deformity, like hell!" Sakura's voice escalated to a scream. "It's given you an advantage more than anything! Not only can you sense other people's feelings, you can reach into the subconscious and TWIST it!"

Minoru bowed his head. "I do not deny it," he answered quietly. Sakura was right — for the most part. He used his psychic ability to delve into Sasuke's dreams, yes. "But if only you knew —"

The elf halted mid-sentence. Sakura had walked out the room; he felt it without even looking.

'I just have to give her some time to cool off,' he decided. 'I'll explain the full details when she's in a calmer mood.'

How very wrong he was.

* * *

"Potamos!"

The water-demon glanced around. "Hiya, Sacchan!" she chirped. Her good cheer began to fade away as she saw Sakura's pained and angered face. What alarmed her further was when her pink-haired friend grabbed her hand, and dragged her out of the festival. "Hey... wait, where are we going? Is there something special ta' see?"

Sakura pulled the water-demon into an empty corner of the village walls, and faced her. "Potamos, we have to get out of here," Sakura mumbled.

"But I haven't tasted the punch yet!" Potamos whined.

"I mean that we have to LEAVE, NOW," Sakura urged. "The two of us have no more business here. The Tree of Life is beginning to heal again, and we have Dryad's energy. The best time to slip away is when Frida is distracted with this evening celebration."

"We're ditching the party?" Potamos asked in awe. She squealed, excited with Sakura's little rebellion. Then she blinked as the words fully sunk in. "Wait a minute. The _two _of us?"

Sakura wiped the remains of a few tears from her eyes. The kunoichi then exposed the inside of her cloak to Potamos, revealing several items she stole from Minoru's room: the map of the Rifts, a plotter, and the case of ether-collectors. "We don't need Minoru anymore," the kunoichi stated. "Besides, you're the superior of him when it comes to handling dark beings."

"Halt!" a voice shouted. Sakura and Potamos glanced to the side. A lone human soldier had his sword drawn at the pair. "Sakura-sama, I will not allow you to leave this place at night! Especially with that demon!"

Sakura's green eyes creased in fury. She had never felt so angry in her life. Besides, she herself had some demon-blood. What did he know about their kind?

In an instant, the young kunoichi pulled out Tennyo. A shot of air flew at the guard — the force blasted him, armor and all, a good twenty meters back.

The guard did not even scream when his body slammed against a tree trunk.

"Right. That should take care of him," Sakura huffed. Potamos' yellow eyes glinted.


	42. Emerald

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a cross-over with Wedding Peach.

LONG AUTHORS NOTES!

Estimated length until this story ends — Chapter 50 is the absolute maximum.

Information about sequel: Well, all I can say now is that it'll have a tad more Japanese mythology in it, since Dimensional Exchanges covers Western mythology. Should I throw in Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata as main characters in it as well? Well, Hinata and Itachi are definitely going in.

Nocterayne: don't worry. Minoru still has work to do. And he has a defense! Well, sort of. As any character, he's not perfect. Even Sakura isn't all that great by now; she's doing something VERY dangerous and stupid. It's a tad out-of-character for her to do something like this — but at this point, it's safe to say that she's a just a little miffed. Inner Sakura and Outer Sakura have already fused — the girl still has some control over her outbursts, but there's a definite change in her.

Ciastor: Oh, my God, you're right! I fixed the dialogue to clean it up — and Minoru's more in a calm state. I can't change the mirror, as that object is used in the alternate world for communication — Minoru simply reprogrammed it with his own abilities. When I came up with Minoru's entire personality and past, my friend told me that she'd like to see Sasuke mentally suffer for his coldness to Sakura. But I couldn't think up of anything logical, as NOTHING seems to faze the boy in real life! — except maybe Itachi and Naruto. And then I read about fauns in mythology, and a light bulb turned on. I planned Minoru's activities and Sakura's flight a long time ago, so I can't totally change the situation, but I ripped and stripped the dialogue apart to make things better. I'm thankful that you pointed out this dangerous corner. And Emerald's chapter is right here.

To make things COMPLETELY legal, here is a list of things that show even the slightest HINT of influence from other works. I do not own ANY of them.

Changing dimensions/worlds via wormholes - science fiction. Minoru and the other Rifts people – "Lord of the Rings", "Harry Potter", and pretty much any fantasy I've read or seen. Icarus – Greek mythology. Ramah – Hindu mythology. Erda and Frida – Norse mythology. Jura - name of a mountain range in Europe. Elemental Guardians - mythology according to Paraclesus. First round (Sakura vs. Cardella) – Kakashi's calling jutsu in his battle with Zabuza. Shi Shi Houkoudan, and Amano Takuji's personality – Amano Takurou in the "Wedding Peach" series, and Ryoga in the "Ranma 1/2" series. "Life is suffering" – the First Truth in Buddhism. Tennyo – Buddhist mythology. Dream/Reality scene between Sakura and Sasuke – "Carousel" the musical. Medicinal alchemy – alchemy. Traps in the Ninja Mansion - various ninja manga and anime.

"The highest justice is the highest injustice." – some Roman general. (I think it's Julius Ceasar, but I'm not sure.)

"The meaning of life is 42." – "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", by Douglas Adams.

"Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat itself." – George Santayana.

Of course, Serpentine Rose is the main influence of this story. She proved to many people that a Sakura-centric fic can be good if well-written.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 42: Emerald

* * *

Minoru emerged from the dying crowd. The festivities were beginning to simmer away. When he felt Sakura's anger ebb, he had slipped out of his room in search of her. The blond elf saw some guards, and noticed his brother amongst them. He walked towards the collection of soldiers.

"Impossible," Naoharu muttered. "No living creature has escaped the notice of our guards."

"Technically, we can't prove that," a guard pointed out, irritating his superior even further.

Minoru stepped up behind the guards. "Naoharu, Where is Sakura-san?" he asked.

His brother looked back, and frowned. "It seems like one of your two girls attacked one of our guards. And looking at the nature of the attack, it WASN'T the purple-haired demon who performed the deed."

Minoru's brow furrowed. So the kunoichi had been miffed enough to snap. The elf really did not care if Sakura attacked someone of this village, as long as she did not take a life. He was the source of her anger, after all. "Where is Sakura-san?" Minoru repeated. "You did not chain her, did you?"

Naoharu groaned. "Don't you understand? She vanished! She knocked out a human, who says that he overheard her asking Potamos to go into the area of Shadow with her. He also mentioned that she has some magic abilities of her own!"

The blood chilled in the younger elf's veins. Without another word, Minoru dashed off back to his father's house.

"Minoru!" Naoharu shouted.

Just then, a group of unknown beings dropped out of a vortex nearby. Two teenage boys — one raven-haired and the other a chocolate-brown — and a young lady with long, golden hair dropped from the sky. All three landed gracelessly onto the dirt.

"Get off me, Linton!" Amano Takuji snarled, pushing his glasses back into place.

"Gladly, Amano," Angel Linton growled as he pulled himself up.

The Amazon with black leather and armor sighed in exasperation as she snapped her body up. "Now where's this Sakura girl we're supposed to find?"

Naoharu let his head drop. 'Just when the state of affairs begin to show recovery, things go from bad to worse...'

* * *

(( (Nine months ago)

Sakura wiped the sweat off her brow from practice, and sat down onto the picnic blanket Minoru folded out. She helped herself to a piece of fruit. She contemplated it in her hand, and then looked up. "Minoru-san?"

"What is it, Sakura-san?"

The kunoichi gulped nervously. She was afraid that this might be insulting, but the curiosity in her bubbled up. "Why do you wear those robes all the time?"

"Oh, yes. I seemed to have forgotten to explain this quirk of mine. Well, the first reason is that I am employed with the healers in Minerva, making simple potions. The second reason..." He made a visible cringe.

"Is?" Sakura pushed on.

He heaved a sigh. "When I first became acquainted with Angel Salvia-sama, she was impressed with my abilities as a fighter. So at her request — which I could not refuse, as she had helped me gain residence in this city — I entered the official tournament. The first round... I won."

"You lost the second round?" Sakura guessed.

"Not exactly," Minoru said. "There were a few... overly-enthusiastic women seeing my first performance."

Sakura frowned. "You were mobbed by some girls?" Somehow, the idea of a Minoru fan-club irritated the kunoichi.

"I was not mobbed; I could evade them easily!" Minoru said, a note of hurt pride in his voice. "The only thing that went wrong was that I let my guard down when one of my drinks was prepared."

"You were _drugged_?" Sakura asked, horrified. "With what? Were they so desperate to get you out of the tournament?"

"Not exactly," the blond elf mumbled. "A waitress slipped some potent Aphrodisiac in my drink. I could tell that she liked me, but not to such a desperate extent..."

Sakura stared at Minoru. A wide grin began to creep over her face.

"It's not funny!" he exclaimed. It was embarrassing for Minoru to admit that he had been drugged, as he was trained in both medicinal alchemy and thieving methods. "Love-potions don't work on my kind properly unless there is mutual love on both parties prior to taking it — in fact, it makes an elf painfully bed-ridden for at least a week! I had to resign from the tournament. That was when I decided to dress in healer's robes, and never fight in public again!"

Sakura's face was turning red from all the giggles in her, fighting to be let out. "Don't you get male suitors now and then?" she squeaked.

"A few who mistake me as a woman — yes, it has happened," Minoru admitted. By now, Sakura was rolling on the picnic blanket in laughter. "The good thing is, I can refuse them politely, and they usually go away without knowing my true gender. Only once did one drunk push me, and I knocked him out. The few gay men who pick up information — they're especially polite and understanding when I explain my disinterest."

The elf coughed. "Are you quite finished laughing, Sakura-san?"

"I am not — in the least bit — surprised..." Sakura gasped, the tears of mirth filling her eyes. ))

* * *

Sakura and Potamos jumped through the trees. The atmosphere grew sweet-smelling, like a hypnotic fog. Some birds flitted about in the foliage.

The kunoichi looked around, and sighed. Something was wrong with the place. The Tree of Life did not heal its surroundings this quickly. Plus, the birds were not making any noise whatsoever. Sakura put her hands together — 'Kai!' — dispelling the weak illusion. She then jabbed Potamos' shoulder with two fingers.

The dramatic change in scenery was amazing. The trees looked less promising for fruit, and black shrubs poked out here and there on the ground. The grass was anything but green.

"Wow!" the water-demon piped up. "You can get rid of illusions from other people, too?"

"It's just one hand-seal," Sakura explained. "It takes practice to be effective. But it's quite handy when you get the feeling for it. I can teach it to you."

Potamos stopped in her tracks. She shivered.

Sakura first was bewildered that the water-demon might have been getting scared. But that idea disappeared when she saw the malicious grin on the girl's face. If Potamos' expression were a billboard, it would have had 'TARGET SPOTTED!' printed on in bright letters.

Potamos threw a thin spray of icy particles at an enormous flower — and it screeched. Blue tentacles shot out from its stem, and Sakura and Potamos evaded the attack. This plant's movements were slower and less controlled than Minoru's vines.

In the air, Sakura flicked her hands together, and slid out a green-glowing sword. With the powered-up weapon, she sliced off the plant's limbs, jumping on and off the tree-trunks in the surroundings for anchor-ground.

Potamos twirled around, freezing various sections of the branches with her hands, and then amputating them by kicking through the frozen areas. Sakura finished the monster off with a well-aimed cut at the stem.

The giant plant scrunched down into a brown mass. "That wasn't so bad," Sakura panted as she put away Tennyo. "We just have... a three-day walk to the Energy Spring, and then wait for the portal to open near it."

The kunochi was beginning to think that this maybe was not such a good idea. The feeling of guilt, a result of leaving Frida Village without Minoru, began to penetrate her heart. But she quickly brushed it away.

The main strategy of Potamos and Sakura was simple: if any intelligent being attacked the two, Potamos would shoo them off, saying that the pink-haired girl was her human slave. Quite frankly, those smart in the Rifts held fear and respect for celestials, especially demons. If things became too dangerous, Sakura would interfere. Except in very extreme circumstances would she activate her angel aura. The two had to look normal, at least normal among travelers willing enough to go through these parts.

Sakura sighed as she trod through the grasses, allowing Potamos to take the lead. Her thoughts lingered back to Minoru. All the time she had spent in this dimension — she thought he was such a beautiful person. So perfect. Not just in looks, but in personality as well. The blond elf helped her train in both sword-fighting and mental awareness. He even touched her subconscious with fun dreams, showing her something more glamorous than the stop-and-go nature of the trip through the Rifts.

The kunoichi was, to say the least, disappointed in Minoru. What evil spirit possessed him to do such a thing?

In truth, Sakura had no idea what Minoru had shown Sasuke. It did not even occur to her that the young Uchiha would almost immediately forget them, as was the nature of most dreams. Yet her suspicions, along Sasuke's voice and image: it all made her blood boil. And the casualness in which Minoru reacted to Sakura, letting her go to let off steam as if it were just some family quarrel...

'What exactly did Minoru show Sasuke? And how much of it?' Sakura wondered. 'If it was several times, and something awful — then Minoru is no better than Itachi or Orochimaru. Sasuke may be a jerk, but he doesn't deserve any more pain!'

As for Sasuke, Sakura had no idea what to think about him. Not anymore. Yes, a pang of sorrow had shot through her when she saw him in the mirror. It harkened memories, especially the memory of when Orochimaru gave a quick bite on the boy's neck — and the terrible twenty-four hours that followed. 'That's right,' Sakura recalled. 'Sasuke screamed, and gripped my hand so much that it hurt. I had to catch him in my arms. Naruto hung on the tree, unconscious. I had no idea what to do. I felt so helpless and useless...'

But now, Sakura felt mild pity for Sasuke. She lost respect for him a long time ago. The only thing left was sympathy, perhaps ready to flicker out of her heart anytime now. It seemed ages ago when he left the village. It had already been — what? — almost a year and a half from now? Sakura suddenly realized that her fourteenth birthday must have passed recently. The trip made her lose track of time.

The kunoichi smiled quietly as she followed Potamos like a faithful handmaid. It was so mind-boggling, that she, Haruno Sakura, put all her trust in this young demon to help her through the last of the Rifts.

'How did it ever come down to this?'

* * *

(( (Forty-nine years ago, Frida Village)

"Minoru, just go!" Naoharu yelled as he let loose an arrow through the window. "Take her and run!"

Emerald's green eyes turned sharp. "I am not going to run while you're in battle!" She readied the thin sword at her waist.

"Don't be rash, Emerald; most of the creatures have wings, and fly too quickly!" Naoharu exclaimed. "The elfin guard can take them down, but it's too dangerous for a swordfighter like you."

Minoru swung open a closet in the house, and yanked Emerald in with him.

"I'm not going to hide here like a coward!" The half-elf sobbed, trying to pull away from her brother.

"We are NOT hiding," Minoru said, opening a hidden trapdoor of the closet. Emerald blinked away her tears at the sight of the underground passage. Minoru's voice turned into a whisper. "We are going to sneak to the Tree of Life, and ask for help from Dryad's beasts and creatures. Do you understand?"

Emerald sniffed, realizing that there was no hope for arguing. "I... understand." She wiped her eyes.

There was not even a torch around in the underground pathway. Minoru chanted some words over his wristband, and slid his fingers over the stone steps. Slowly, the rock began to glow, and the pathway lit up with a tan glow, inch by inch. "Stay close to me," Minoru whispered as they began to quickly walk.

Emerald shivered, and clasped both her hands on his arm. She was not so much afraid of the dark now, but it was the coldness that tingled her shoulders and arms.

They had to be quick. Zombies and other dark beings were swarming the village. Creatures from the Shadow lands wandered into Dryad area now and then, but this situation was too calculated and too extreme.

"We might go into war, Emerald," Minoru said, breaking the silence. "The village will want you for your sword skills if it turns into a battle-field situation."

The girl with dark, pink hair seemed bewildered for a moment. Emerald then looked down. "Maybe," she said with a sigh.

Emerald had always dreamed of being an official warrior. But now that it was a real possibility, it felt strange. She was normally an outcast to the rest of the village. They already knew that her swordsmanship was decent. If she became a war-hero, would they truly love and hail to her existence at last? Or would they consider her only as a tool?

"Remember that you are dear to me, as well as to my father and brothers." Minoru patted Emerald's shoulder. "No matter what happens."

The girl looked at the grim look on her brother's face. It was rare for him to speak such deep words. He talked as if he knew something was going to happen.

"Minoru-oniisan, is something you're not telling me?" Emerald suddenly asked. "Can you foresee things like Father?"

The blond elf cracked a smile. "No — I cannot recall seeing any unusual pictures at odd intervals. I can sense the immediate inclinations of other souls only if they are close by. Our brothers have more experience in this, so they can detect evil intent at a longer distance. And I am not like Father with his foresight."

"You can see dreams," Emerald pointed out.

"Yes, but it's a bother at times. It's rather useless, really."

"You have those potions," she said. "I like the ones about flying."

"But you forget them!" Minoru argued.

"The details of them, yes," Emerald agreed. "But the fact that those came from you... that's what I remember and treasure."

"...Oh," the blond elf said, feeling warm inside again. That ended the conversation.

The two reached the end of the tunnel, which went up into the hollow of a dead tree. Minoru gracefully slid out of the opening. In contrast, Emerald tripped over a root. She stumbled a bit, yet caught herself in time before her knees gave out. Emerald recently began to lose her clumsiness, due to a certain someone in her life.

A shadow flinched nervously in the trees.

Minoru stilled. He had felt something, but shook off the feeling. It was not blood-lust. More of a nervousness. It was probably just some scared creature.

Emerald glanced at the bushes. Her sea-foam eyes captured a familiar sweep of a mantle. A pale face revealed itself from the shadows, and her heart melted. She ran towards him with a look of joy on her face. "Delvaux!" she exclaimed, full of longing and concern for the man.

A shot of alarm ran through Minoru's senses. "Emerald, no!" he shouted.

A cry of surprise and pain escaped Emerald's lips as she embraced her love.

Thrust out of her back was the end of a broadsword, the pure blood staining its dangerously beautiful silver.

Emerald's eyes blinked a tear, which did not go unnoticed by the vampire. She coughed, and mouthed out his name.

Her eyes turned blank, and her body fell limp. Her life force disappeared. Both the elf and the vampire felt it.

"EMERALD!" Minoru screamed. He pulled an arrow across his shaft, and aimed at the traitorous monster. The elf chanted some words, putting wood-magic into its shaft. If struck correctly, it would kill him.

The undead being was too close. He ran forward and swiped Minoru's bow away, then delivered a severe blow to his head. Quite soon, the elf found himself on his back, struggling to push the other off.

"It's unfortunate that your kind relies too much on the bow and arrow." The vampire leered, holding down the elf by the wrists. "No true experience in close combat."

For the first time in his life, Minoru cursed. "BASTARD!"

Minoru's left hand slowly forced its way towards Delvaux's chest, despite it being in the strong grip of the vampire's fingers. The blond elf focused all his grief and love for his dead sister, along with a newly-born hate, into a chant of ancient words.

A thick vine grew out of his wristband at a supernatural agility. It shot through the vampire's chest.

Delvaux screamed, and the elf used this opportunity to kick him away. Breathing heavily, Minoru watched the man collapse onto the ground.

Minoru, exhausted with producing a weapon out of magic for the first time, crawled over to Emerald's body. He cradled his sister in his arms.

The vampire gave out a snarl of pain. And then — his face relaxed. "I thank you, Elf."

Minoru looked up, the tears dripping from his eyes. "Pardon?" he said, barely audible. "You killed my sister. Are you thanking me for letting her meet you in the forest? For the satisfaction of taking her heart, and then murdering her?"

"I did not want to take her life," the vampire said in dark sincerity. "But my master ordered it. He somehow found out about my outings with her, and she was a potential threat for his own ambitions against the village."

"So you chose duty over love," the elf stated. His voice was shaking. "Well, it seems like your plans have crumbled. You're not even going to survive that little stake I made."

"No, this was my plan," the vampire answered. He winced as he felt the wood-magic flow into his veins, pulling apart the undead strings holding him together.

"What?" Minoru whispered. He did not understand the logic of it all.

"I am nearly five hundred years old," Delvaux said. "All of my kin, before I was cursed into this state of being, died out or rejected me. For most of my life, I have not known any being except as a victim, enemy, or master." The vampire trembled. It looked like he was fighting to keep himself from crying. "But Emerald fit none of those categories. She was the light who banished my emptiness. I planned to die immediately after her death — I'd rather follow her spirit than wander alone again, incapable of killing myself. Had you not put this stake in me, I would have walked into Frida Village anyway, and showed my face to anyone who was strong enough. I first thought that you were not competent for such an action, especially at your age." A fragile laugh escaped him. "But I suppose witnessing her death broadened your magical ability."

"You..." Minoru had no idea whether to be horrified or angry. "You're a sick monster."

The vampire gave a weak smile. "Of course. What else would I be?" he said in grave humor. A last shot of pain passed his heart. He felt his soul slipping away. 'Finally,' his inner self said with contentment. He then looked Minoru directly in the eye. "Do you think... Emerald will forgive me?" he asked.

With a final tilt of his head, the vampire's body collapsed into a heap of dust.

Minoru's face was covered in tears and sweat. He looked upon Emerald, her once-shining eyes now closed forever. Her blood caked into his robes; he could feel it growing cold from exposure to the outside world. The elf choked on a sob.

The wind picked up through the trees. Minoru's blue eyes caught the vampire's dust, swirling around. He watched, as the particles slowly danced towards him through the air, and lingered upon Emerald's body.

Seeing this, a sudden rage poisoned his soul.

"Get away from her!" Minoru screamed. He pulled her out of the cloud of the vampire's remains. Even in death, the bastard was trying to touch his sister.

'This is my own fault,' the elf grieved. 'If only I had more sense to keep Emerald away from him. If only I had not absorbed the stories about romantic love Mother told me as a child. If only...' Minoru panted, feeling the warmth in Emerald's body fade away. He glared at the ashes. "I swear, Emerald, if I find anyone like you and Delvaux, I will even things out by making him witness true suffering. Do you hear me? Emerald, my dear sister..."

The elf stroked away the rose-colored hair from Emerald, and kissed her forehead.

And then, he cried. ))

* * *

Notes:

Delvaux - a Surrealist painter who is famous for his strange, often beautiful, images that were inspired by dreams and the subconscious.


	43. Awakening

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a cross-over with Wedding Peach.

Woaw, my longest chapter ever! But still... Yeesh, almost two whole weeks since I last updated... School and swimming makes things tough. But school is first and foremost.

A little naruhina scene is in. Both characters are so cute and awesome! It touches on the romantic side, since Naruto's crush on Sakura has faded due to her absence, and his hormones are getting the better of him. But I'm not sure if I want to pair Naruto and Hinata up fully for the sequel. (Joann suggested putting Itachi and Hinata together. As original and fascinating as it sounds — I'd probably screw it up. It would be way too complicated, especially when the plot is already screwy. Sorry...)

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 43: Awakening

* * *

Angel Linton growled. "That impertinent little..."

"You heard me," Naoharu calmly answered. "Sakura and Potamos left on their own. Minoru went out to stop them."

"Haruno-san could be killed!" Amano Takuji said, his voice full of worry. "We've got to find her!"

"I don't think so," Linton impassively said.

Takuji glared at Linton.

"Oh, jeez, Amano!" Linton said in exasperation. "You STILL haven't figured out whom she is related to?"

Takuji frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Never mind." Linton sighed. Much as the intellectual his half-angel teammate was, Linton could see how naïve Takuji was in the ways of celestial duties and politics. Amano Takuji did not even suspect the wrangling his father's technology could cause, especially since it was such a recent invention. Dimensional exchanges — going to entirely different worlds. Another universe. Almost an entirely different reality. This used to be a power that only gods could touch, and now it could be twisted in the hands of angels, demons, and even humans.

Maybe the gods intended for this to fall into celestial hands more often. Maybe they did not care either way; so far, nothing terrible happened through the higher ranks of celestials. But if something got out, especially that a being like Haruno Sakura escaped death and came back to their world because of the technology... It would be a hard wake-up call for Takuji indeed should he find Sakura lying in a pool of her own blood, executed by a demon — or worse, an angel.

Sakura had to go back to the other world; that was certain. Even if she was not the Angel of Death, the girl had to go. She was needed elsewhere. At least, that was what Angel Salvia had told Linton in secret, so that he understood the importance of this mission. As for his rival, Takuji — he still needed an awakening of reality. Takuji clearly had a liking for Sakura, even in the short span they knew each other in Minerva. It must have been the love-angel blood in both of them. But Takuji, as the son of Love Angel Daisy, had to learn duty as well as love. Sakura had a duty for another world. That was just how things worked.

"We've got to follow them," Linton said. "Especially Minoru. I don't understand him, but he is also an important force for Salvia-sama."

* * *

Minoru cut through the dead landscape like a hot knife through butter. The stench of rotting dead around sickened him. Still, he was glad of the trail of monster corpses. It made such a good compass. Such cleanly-sliced body parts could only have come from a skilled swordsman with a high-quality katana. There were also some pieces of frost-bitten flesh around. Sakura and Potamos had definitely been here.

An object flew at him from one of the ground holes nearby. Minoru jumped away, and then drew an arrow in the direction of the hole. A molebear. The elf released the arrow, and a feint squeak followed the impact. Minoru sighed. Such a cute voice from something so prickly-evil, intentionally trying to poison other creatures through its needles.

Minoru heard a whizzing sound behind him. He turned his head quickly. It was the same flying object that the molebear threw before it was killed: a boomerang made from a bone.

With a flick of his arm, the blond elf caught the heavy object before it made dazzling impact with his head.

'I just caught a heavy undead weapon,' Minoru thought in amazement. 'Still, it is far too early to rejoice. I must find Sakura and Potamos before some monster gets a hold of them. Especially vampires.'

Vampires. Damn, the memories were haunting him again.

He had to complete Angel Salvia's mission. Get the various ether, and take Sakura and Potamos out of this vile place. Even if it meant dragging them, kicking and screaming. Sakura may have despised Minoru now — but the elf would not allow Sakura to die in a degrading manner in the Rifts. Not Sakura.

He was not sorry for Sasuke, even now. The psychotic boy deserved it. Make him drown deeper into the hell he created for Sakura. If his soul was reduced to something less than human — which probably already was, looking at the state of his curse — then Sakura would finally see the vile person that he was.

Pity was wasted on the sinful. Minoru tried out pity fifty years ago, and it ended along with his sister's life. And nothing came from it. Nothing.

* * *

(( "What do you mean, the village won't put her name with the heroes?" Minoru angrily demanded. The disbelief sunk into him, like a weight at the pit of his stomach. "Emerald _died_ in the fight!"

The village elder's secretary, a bony-faced human lady, looked calmly at the young elf. "If you find anyone who knows how she died, and it was in a right way — then we shall consider it. She was half-elf, the poor creature. If she perished for the sake of this village, her name will be added."

Minoru began to sweat. How Emerald died: that was the one thing he could _not_ tell about. Her name would be dishonored forever if it were found out she was slain by her own lover — and a vampire, at that.

"If there is no indication if she died in battle," the secretary said, "then she is simply a casualty of the attack."

Anger rose in Minoru. "Casualty?" he said in a cold voice. "Casualty! There are plenty of casualties among the innocent elves and humans who couldn't fight, and you're still honoring them. And you can't do the same thing for Emerald?"

"She was a TAINT," the secretary curtly answered. "A reckless little child. Good as she was in magic and in swordsmanship, she did not have what it took to survive the attack."

"Silence, Human!" Minoru shouted.

"If you continue to harass me, I will call for the village elder," she said. "I may only be a servant, and a human. But I have my dignity."

Minoru glared at her. Dignity? Emerald had more dignity than this ice-bitch. The half-elf girl had put up with harassment from the entire village ever since his family took her in. Yet in the eyes of the council, his sister was something less than a person.

Minoru strode out of the house, and slammed the door of the village elder's house. He continued to walk through the street towards the forest. As he came closer to the Tree of Life, his fury grew. His steps were fierce and unforgiving, as if he were trying to inflict the ground with pain. This continued on until he was halfway to the Tree.

His steps became slower. Finally, he froze in his tracks. Someone else was near. Well, his senses had certainly developed after _that_ incident.

"Show yourself," the elf said in a monotone.

No movement. Minoru frowned. He unleashed his anger on the nearby tree with a very hard kick of his boot. A yelp was heard from above. Minoru quickly stepped to the side. Someone fell down onto the ground next to him, landing on his feet like a cat.

The elf drew an arrow and aimed at the man. "You are not a member of Frida Village." Minoru held his weapon steady. As he studied the intruder a little more, he realized that it was a human bandit.

"Yo, chill," the thief said, casually lifting up his hands in defeat. He had messy, slightly long black hair, and had a purple bandanna around his head. He appeared to be in his late twenties or so. Despite having an elf aiming an arrow at his face, his visage showed nothing but a fun mischievousness. "Honestly: I'm not here to raid the village."

"I actually would not mind if you succeeded in such an attempt," the elf scoffed.

The human thief gave a slightly surprised look at Minoru's unusual answer. His face cracked back into a grin. So this elf was not as patriotic as the norm. Good.

"What do you want, Human?" Minoru asked. "There are no artifacts around this forest to loot. And if the Village Guard finds you, they will kill you. I advise you to leave."

"You know, that's just the thing, the Village Guard." The thief now knew that this elf did not like the village, so he probably could take a jab at it without getting shot in the head. "The news of that little attack is spreading like wildfire. Frida has the wrong strategy in directly attacking the lands of Shadow, when the real mover of the pieces is running around in various places of the Rifts. You want to hang around our little organization? We get some business done at a faster rate than most village councils. And we could really use your help as an elf."

Minoru rolled his eyes. A human trying to recruit an elf to his personal army? "I don't have time for this," he said, turning around. The elf put away his bow and arrow, and began to walk away from the thief.

"Woaw, wait up, bud!" The man laughed, and ran after Minoru like some stray dog finding an eligible new owner. "I'm serious. Don't worry, our group actually has some _class_. We only take the best, and the most honorable."

"It sounds like a hoax," Minoru growled, still walking. "You rob, after all."

"Aw, come on. That's such a nasty way of saying it. You can call it 'treasure-hunting.' Whichever way you say it, it's the exact same occupation! We only aim for the rich when we have financial troubles. We do what we need to survive."

"Survive then, and leave me alone," Minoru said. This was so irritating; what kind of uppity human was this? He began to quicken his step.

The thief was losing him. He sighed. Elves were so stubborn. "You want to get back at the vampire-leader, don't you?" the man piped up.

Minoru froze. He turned around. "How in the world do you know that the vampires are behind this?"

"I have a little score to settle with the head-guy, let's just say," the thief said. "But I can't do it without some strong allies. Your heightened senses would be perfect. You'll need to get another style of fighting, though; I can't guarantee the sharpest arrows all the time. How about knife-fighting? It's easy to carry around a switch-blade or two."

Minoru sighed. "How many people do you have in your organization?" he asked.

The thief scratched his head. "Um, the current number of staff is... two."

"TWO? What sort of rebel organization is that!" Minoru asked incredulously. "This is pure entropy of my mental capabilities! I take my leave."

"Fight entropy! That should be our new motto," the thief said with a flourish. "But you do want to give it a try, don't you? Even you, an elf, can't defeat him on your own."

Minoru frowned. From what he saw of the human, the guy was pure of heart. And from how he landed after Minoru kicked him out of the tree-tops, he was not bad in his gymnastic abilities. He was a real, professional thief. Besides, the more Minoru thought about it, the more he realized that he wanted to leave Frida Village. At least for a little while. When the real enemy was defeated, he could go back home.

The faun-personality of him began to leak out again. Minoru smiled. "I suppose I could provide assistance. What should I fetch from home for the journey?"

"Hmm... Every antique that you can carry?" the thief asked hopefully.

"Ha, ha," Minoru said with dry sarcasm. "You are perfectly aware that elves don't hoard large objects like humans. I was an idiot to ask." ))

* * *

The breeze through the grasses whistled. A hand gently plucked a tall-growing flower.

Hinata's other hand gripped the helm of her shirt, the sweat of her palm moistening the fabric. Her Byakugan spotted someone. In her daily gatherings of herbs, she always had encounters with a few people passing by. They usually paid her no heed. Even if a few people did recognize her as a ninja, they ignored her presence. But not this fellow who was lingering in the trees, watching her intently.

He was no enemy. But his presence truly scared the wits out of her.

Up in the foliage, Naruto wondered just what the heck he was doing. It began when he decided to do his morning training in a different area, and then heard some rustling of grass. When he stopped to investigate, it was Hinata. Before he knew it, he found himself studying her intently. The girl was a strange little creature. One moment, she was timid and shy, and then she looked terrified, and then she showed off a Hyuuga battle-mode, and then she complimented Naruto on anything.

Something inside him urged him to go down there, greet Hinata, and maybe help her with picking herbs. She was a friend, wasn't she? Yet another part of the fox-boy's mind warned that if he dared anything of the sort, he would probably end up doing something moronic in front of her.

Wait, Hinata saw him do lots of klutzy or idiotic stunts. So even if he made a total ass of himself right now — it would, logically, make no difference.

So why was he so concerned NOW about how he acted in front of her?

The young kunoichi blushed crimson, knowing full well that Naruto was not going away. 'No way!' her mind screamed. 'What do I do? _What do I do?'_ She tried calming down, reminding herself that it was just a teensy crush. If she acted normal, then none of her emotions would show. It would be so embarrassing if he found out, so...

Naruto blinked. He could only see a little angle of Hinata's face, but he could tell she was blushing. It looked quite good on her, now that he pondered it. He first thought it was a little weird. But now she looked rather... sweet.

There was another voice in his mind: Kyuubi, the fox-demon himself. Damn. **'Go after her, you growing little whelp,'** the demon said with a chuckle.

'No way!' Naruto thought. 'I could never...'

A vein pulsed near Hinata's opaque eyes. Naruto was losing balance in the trees — and falling backward. He wasn't even reacting to gravity's vengeance on him. A hypnotized look was on his face. Then panic. 'What's happening?' Naruto thought. 'Am I falling?'

Before either of them knew it, Hinata jumped up. She caught Naruto, wrapping her arms around his upper torso, and twisted in the air before either of them made bad contact on the ground. The landing hit her ankles hard, as Naruto was extra weight. Yet the girl subdued any voice of complaining; she did not want to show weakness again in front of him.

"Naruto-kun... are you okay?" Hinata said, slightly tired from the abrupt rescue.

The boy, meanwhile, was still in a daze. Was it his imagination, or did Hinata just save him from a deathly fall? If he ever became Hokage, he would have to thank her. Death before accomplishing his ultimate goal would be a terrible hindrance indeed.

Hinata then realized that she still held Naruto. Okay, so it was only her hands on his shoulders, but it was PHYSICAL contact all the same. She let go quickly and turned away, blushing profusely.

'Hey, don't stop!' Naruto's hormones yelled out. The boy shook his head. Bad, bad, images. He had to resist Jiraiya's influence. "Um... thanks, Hinata," Naruto said sheepishly. "I... guess you saved my life there. Or at least spared me some major injuries."

"You're welcome," Hinata quietly said. Something told her to flee, but her knees wouldn't move. Plus, it would not look cool to run.

Naruto scratched his head as he sat amidst the grasses with Hinata. He had realized something. There was only one way the girl could have reacted to his fall so quickly: she had already known from the start that he was there in the trees. How could he have forgotten her Byakugan? That was her family's signature trait! Now he really felt like an idiot.

Then again, he did not really think of her in terms of her ninja skills, good as they were. She was not HYUUGA Hinata to him. She was just weird little Hinata.

"I guess I really screwed up there." Naruto gave out an embarrassed laugh.

The silence was terrible.

The blond teenager began to turn nervous. Hinata had her back turned, not saying anything back. Was she mad? He needed something to loosen up the tense atmosphere. Without thinking carefully, he decided to say the first thing that crossed his mind. "I guess I lost my concentration, you just looked so pretty there!"

He froze. 'WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?' a voice in him exclaimed.

The words sunk into the blue-haired girl.

"Ah, ah..." Naruto stuttered. Hinata was now turning a darker shade of red. Was she that angry with him? There were a few girls around who reacted violently against compliments regarding their looks, no matter how pretty or beautiful they were. They were probably defending themselves from being charmed by idiots. Idiots like him.

Hinata buried her face in her hands. The tears were starting to flow out, try as she might to stop them. But she could not help it. Naruto panicked. "Oh, Hinata — I made you cry! I'm sorry! I'm such an idiot; I'm so sorry!"

"N-no..." Hinata sobbed. "It's not that. It's just..." Why didn't the right words come out? The gasps turned quicker. "I've never had — anyone tell me — that before," she managed to say.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. She was crying because she was happy. Something inside him cheered. 'You made her happy! You rule, you sexy bastard!'

Hinata sniffed away the last of her tears. She hiccupped. "Naruto-kun... did you really mean that?"

The shouts of manliness fizzed out from Naruto's head, as he saw her unsure and nervous expression. Of course he meant the compliment — but she doubted his words?

"Of course!" Naruto insisted. "You're pretty, you're strong, and you're one of the coolest friends anybody could ever have!"

Hinata looked down. She gulped. And then a shy smile touched her lips.

Naruto had not realized before that the Hyuuga girl was so sensitive to other people's opinions. It reminded him of the teasing he received back in Ninja Academy. He tried to hide the shame — with pranks, a foxy grin thrown in here and there — but it sure did not ease the pain. Hinata was like him in more ways than one. Maybe the two of them could become closer friends. Hey, he was kind of alone right now, besides the few C-rank missions with random Konoha ninja who hated his guts, and the grueling lessons with Jiraiya. Hinata probably needed some human companionship other than that god-awful family of hers.

"Um... Once we're done with our morning training — I mean, my training, your gathering — I mean, our activities — um..." Naruto was stalling. He had to say this now, or he would never be able to thank her properly. "You want to eat breakfast together at Ichiraku?" he finally blurted out.

He grew extremely nervous when he saw Hinata's eyes widen. "Since you saved my life and all," the young man awkwardly said. "My treat," he tagged at the end. Sirens rang in his brain. 'Please say yes, please say yes! Or I'll die! Please don't reject me like Sakura-chan! It's just an informal outing; at least DON'T HIT ME!'

Hinata looked stunned for a moment. "I'd like to," she answered. Her voice turned calmer — still gentle, but the quaver was gone.

The dark-haired girl felt something in her melt away. It was like a release of chains around her soul.

And her eyes felt strange. They were not in the active Byakugan-mode, but they irritated her. She rubbed them, feeling some strange new chakra drip into them.

'See the unseen,' a voice said. 'You are worthy.'

A peep escaped Hinata. "Did you hear that?" she suddenly asked, making Naruto jump.

"Um... no," the blond teen answered, giving her a weird look.

"Oh," Hinata said. A hint of sadness was in her voice again, ashamed.

The Kyuubi butted into Naruto's thoughts again**. 'Actually, I heard something myself,' **the fox-demon commented.

"Wait, I did," Naruto quickly said. "...I mean, something inside me did. I mean..."

Hinata bit her lip, and turned away.

**'She thinks you think that she's crazy, boy,'** Kyuubi said with annoyance. Naruto sighed. Having a fox-demon inside one's navel was rather annoying at times, even though it helped him out of tough spots.

"I don't think you're crazy," Naruto said. "Hinata-chan."

Hinata looked up, and saw that Naruto was sincere. She smiled.

* * *

Minoru felt a murderous intent nearby. He flicked out his blade from his elbow, and imbedded the weapon into a something's gut. He glanced to meet the hideous sight of a black annis, a blue-skinned hag who ate on raw flesh. She had been rummaging through the various slain monsters around, hoping for something with fresh blood to show up — failing miserably. She spotted a handsome youth. His sweet-smelling flesh enticed her, and she attacked — only to meet the quick stab of a knife. Minoru finished her with a slice on her throat.

"What a blessing a liberal martial-arts education is," Minoru said, kicking away the screaming annis. The woman clawed at her throat, the blue skin crumbling away in wet chunks around the wound.

Minoru groaned. This search proved to be more difficult than he estimated.

"I finally found you, Elf of the Vines," a voice laughed from above.

Minoru looked up. Damn, he was in deep shit now. A thunder-demon. And a powerful one at that.

"Where's Haruno Sakura?" Din asked. His long, light-blue hair billowed in the wind as he floated mid-air. "Are you not her guardian?"

The blond elf growled. "She is not here," he said. "Even if I knew, I would not tell you. The only orders I take are from Angel Salvia."

Din smirked. Now he understood. "You lost Sakura, didn't you? I suppose you are trying to follow her trail."

Minoru grit his teeth. "What do you want with her?" he shouted out. "She has done you no evil."

Din raised his palms to the sky, crackling with blue aura. Minoru knew what was coming up next — he ducked in safe place, and a loud blast sounded out.

He looked up carefully. The tree nearest him had caught fire.

"Like my lightning bolts?" Din asked. The weather around him grew turbid and violent.

Minoru called some incantations, preparing to lace the air with an enchanted sleeping powder. There was no way he could win against a demon as strong as this, but there was a chance to run away. Yellow sparkles of dust materialized on the elf's palm. With the last word, they blew into the wind, aiming for Din.

"Not a chance, lowly elf," Din snarled. He warped out of wind's direction, and appeared in another spot in the air. The thunder-demon pulled out a black wristband. "Ever heard of the legendary Dimension Ring?"

Minoru's eyes locked onto the bracelet. "The Dimension Ring?"

"The one and only," Din answered.

The elf was skeptical. Was that really the Dimension Ring? The forbidden artifact, passed through generations of demons. With its powers, the spirits of mountains and rivers gathered, bringing something of a temporary wormhole, or a black hole (nobody exactly knew which, since anybody sucked in completely never came out).

The talisman probably worked like Amano Takurou's dimensional jumps — but Amano's technology was highly controlled and recorded. The Dimension Ring, in contrast, depended on the power of Nature and the cosmos. Wedding Peach herself had barely escaped its powers during one battle in the Great War. It threw its victims into something completely random, or tore them apart.

"Impossible," Minoru said. "That unstable item was lost years ago during the war amidst the celestials."

"You want me to prove it to you?" the thunder-demon asked. He raised his arm with the bracelet, and clear aura vibrated out of his palm. It was not even black; the air around moved around in waves. _"Negative Rest Space!"_

A large column of air stirred around — and then billowed into a storm. Large trees began to uproot.

Minoru felt the very air pull out his chakra. It was ten times the strength of what aura-sucking ropes could do. His limbs turned heavy, and he fell, kneeling in the dirt.

Clutching his chest, the blond elf attempted to breathe.

"Meet your end, Elf of the Vines," the thunder-demon whispered.

Minoru shouted out in pain as he fell backward into the chakra-sucking vortex. He forced his eyes open — the swirling colors around him were horrifyingly bright.

The elf managed to shoot a vine from his wristband, painful and difficult as it was to create in the vortex. The makeshift rope grabbed a hold of a tree branch. Well-anchored, Minoru began to make his way back to safe ground.

Din growled. "Useless!" He aimed a bolt of electricity at the tree. The vine snapped away.

A brief shot of electricity went through Minoru's system. His body could survive the jolt, but the power was enough to render him unconscious within the next few seconds. This was rather an inconvenience, because a vortex happened to envelop his body.

The hole was beginning to close in on him. Minoru felt his sight grow blurry.

He failed Emerald. He failed his family. Not to mention, Sakura and Angel Salvia. The Elf of the Vines finally was dying. He would never see any of his friends again.

Minoru somehow felt at peace as his consciousness faded into a blank white.

'Emerald... Sakura-san...'

The vortex closed up.

* * *

Sakura gasped. She stopped in her tracks.

"Sacchan, something wrong?" Potamos asked. "We've got all the energy-collectors full."

"I just felt something of a chill." Sakura brushed away some strands of her pink hair. An image of Minoru flashed through her mind. She shook her head.

Potamos twiddled with the petal-like ends of her red fairy-dress. "We've gotta hurry. The nearest portal to Minerva will close up within two hours."

"Yes, I know."

A wistful look passed Potamos' eyes. "Y'know, I'd hate to say it, But I kinda miss Mino-chan. He was pretty cool, in his own way. What did he do to your boyfriend again?"

Sakura nearly fell over. "WHAT? Boyfriend?" she sputtered.

"Well, he was giving nightmares to this Sasuke-guy, right? If you care so much about him, enough for you to leave Mino-chan..."

"Sasuke's a _friend_," the human stated. "Just because you care about someone of the opposite sex does not mean that he's your boyfriend." Sakura huffed in irritation. Why did she not realize that fact sooner? It could have saved her a lot of pointless heartbreak. "And Sasuke himself can go to hell."

"What! You ditch Mino-chan for some guy that you hate?" Potamos clutched her head. "You're confusing me, Sacchan!"

Sakura sighed. "I think I'm just frustrated over the nature of men in general," the kunoichi said.

The water-demon giggled. "Maybe we can't trust men. But there are a few nice ones."

A masculine voice entered the conversation. "You don't trust men, Sakura? I must say, that is a _very_ wise decision."

Sakura and Potamos looked up. Sakura squinted at the figure floating in the sky. That blue hair. The being looked familiar.

(( "Listen, Viento. I am going to let you off again. I am not going to kill you. But if I ever see her again, alone, I WILL kill her. Otherwise, I cannot call myself a demon." ))

Sakura stared. "Din."

The look Din emitted towards her was unnatural. "So you are courteous enough to remember my name," he said coolly. "Over-hybridized wench."

Potamos took Sakura's shaking hand into her gloved ones. "Stay away from Sacchan! I swear, the two of us can take you on if you attack — and who cares about her mix!"

"Oh? So you, Potamos, KNOW about Sakura's blood?" Din asked. "Moreover, you go low enough to defend her. Your very actions dishonor your kind. Are you even going to shame your own soul, when she's the offspring of your past foes?"

Sakura looked confused. "Past foes?" She turned to Potamos. "Do you know anything about this?"

Potamos shrugged her shoulders. "He must be a lil' wacko up there," she said, making tiny circles around the temple of her head.

"Um, don't aggravate him, Potamos," Sakura mumbled.

To her surprise, Din did not seem to become angry — indeed, a wicked smile passed his features. "_Fuuma_ Sakura," he said, "I will torture you, making you suffer the way I have suffered."

Sakura's eyes narrowed in irritation. "I am a HARUNO!" the kunoichi shot back.

"Your demise will be nothing like the merciful execution I gave to the Elf of the Vines," the thunder-demon said casually. "THAT, I can promise you."

Sakura and Potamos froze.

Din smiled.

Sakura trembled. "You're... you're lying!" she shouted.

Din held up the Dimension Ring. "A nice little vortex consumed your darling Minoru. It was brief, as I had to dispose of him quickly. He was quite bothersome, running after you like some noble knight."

Potamos shook. Some part of her was scared stiff. Minoru was defeated by this terrible celestial. She, as a water-demon, had a serious disadvantage against thunder magic and electricity.

Yet something inside urged Potamos to cut off Din's head.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed. The water-demon threw several kunai at him.

Din evaded the weapons easily, and appeared in front of Potamos. He let loose a powerful zap.

The Potamos in front of him fell apart into water. 'Water-clone,' he realized. Din closed his eyes, sniffing the air with its minute traces of ozone. 'But I can sense your movements by the waves of particles through the air!'

He threw a zap behind him, and hit Potamos before she threw a spear of ice into his back. The demon-girl screamed, and fell into a heap.

"I'll deal with you later," Din mumbled.

Sakura put chakra in her legs and ran towards Din. She flicked her hands together, and pulled out a green-glowing Tennyo, sharp and quick as ever. 'Nobody does that to Potamos while I'm around!'

A quick hum sounded out. Din jerked backward, startled. A tiny line of blood showed up on his chin.

So Sakura learned how to put wind-power in her sword. And she had the nerve to try and decapitate him.

"You insolent little whore!" Din thundered, letting out a large wave of dark-blue aura from his body. Sakura felt herself being pushed back.

A rough hand clasped around Sakura's throat, its nails long and sharp. She did not even scream when Din slammed her head onto the frozen-hard ground. Her mind went unconscious from the blow.

Din panted. Using the Dimension Ring and knocking these two out took more effort than he originally expected. No matter. There was time.

"Don't worry — you won't die just yet," he said. The thunder-demon sighed, rubbing the drying blood off from his chin. The wound was healing quickly; it was no big deal. But the girl would pay for it nonetheless.


	44. Temptation

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Summary: Sakura is sucked into another world, and has to figure out a way to come back to the Shinobi world. But what if her origins lie in this new dimension, and not in Konoha? Is she really meant to be a kunoichi? This fic is AU and a crossover with Wedding Peach.

I never noticed that cuito-san was reading and keeping up with this story! (I'm a huge fan of your work; that's why I was so excited when my brain finally registered who you were...) I also had a review by Serpentine Rose herself, back in chapter 16. I shrieked at that one. She changed her screenname, but I know who you are. Wow. Anyways, you two are DA BOMB in terms of writing. If you're depressed, just remember that this fiction has profound influence from you!

And if THAT depresses you even further, then tell me. I like constructive criticism.

A major spoiler in the original Wedding Peach series is coming up. At least, for the manga...

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 44: Temptation

* * *

The air whistled. Itachi looked up to the sky, narrowing his blood-red eyes. Kisame stood next to him, looking at the waterfall.

"Four Akatsuki members versus the entire Sound center?" Kisame said. His tongue licked the jagged teeth glinting within. "Isn't that a little uneven?"

"We'll be able to do it. Orochimaru will be too occupied at the moment," Itachi said. A slight trace of a frown tugged at his lips, but it was immediately squelched. 'The Akatsuki, nor I, won't allow something like his ambition to come to truth.'

Kisame grinned. "I'll enjoy every minute of it," the man said with a laugh. He glanced at Itachi. "It's an all-out slaughter, right? Any weapon, any jutsu, with any scream resulting?"

Itachi's face remained impassive. "Make all the noise you want. It won't make any difference." The raven-haired man looked to the side, studying the forest around them. 'You might as well shine your brightest right before you fade out, partner.'

Kisame laughed. "Serves the old freak right for leaving the organization. I wonder how he did it? Removing the ring and all..." He intently studied the seal-ring on his own finger.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. Thirty meters away, a black feather floated down from a blurring image.

The tengu. And he was mentally poking Itachi's thoughts. 'Hey, Itachi, remember what I told you.'

Itachi turned away, before Kisame noticed his distraction. Celestials: always showing off.

"We're going now," Itachi said. He and Kisame put chakra in their legs, and shot off towards the hideout.

* * *

Sakura awoke to the sound of a scraping knife. The noise was terrible, bringing chills to her already cold body.

Cold body. Her eyes scanned the place she was in. It was a dungeon, with only torches as the source of light. A spot of curling purple hair appeared under one of them. The flickering light exposed a young girl, tied up in ropes. Potamos. Her breathing looked shallow.

"Potamos!" Sakura exclaimed. She then heard the tingle of chains. Her wrists were handcuffed together behind her back. A single chain connected her ankles together, and then trailed into the stone wall behind her. Sakura grimaced: the Nawanuke no Jutsu would not pull her out of this one. She did not have her weapons. Her gear and Tennyo rested on a table against the opposite wall. For some reason, the teenage girl felt exposed without them.

A tiny whip in the air sounded out. Sakura winced as she felt something cut her cheek — it made a thud into the wood panel she sat against. Her green eyes looked to her right, and saw the knife imbedded in the wall with her blood staining it.

A voice drawled from the darkness. "Sakura, you're already awake? You indeed have a thick skull to withstand the blow I gave you."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the sight of Din. Comments about her forehead, as yet, managed to irk her.

"I suppose you're wondering why you are here."

Sakura looked defiantly into Din's eyes. She said nothing in return. Her piercing glare slightly amused the thunder-demon. He decided quietly that he would enjoy breaking her. The blue-haired demon reached out, and lifted up her chin. He wanted this pretty little creature to taste fear, and horror.

"You are here to die. Too bad that the necromancer I hired to consume your party gave up when you broke his Pomegranate. Useless idiot... he tried to fight back when I found him and killed him."

Silence.

The kunoichi's quietness began to unnerve him. Why was she not shrieking, begging for her life? He wanted her to ask for pity.

Sakura's gaze into his eyes was so long. Why did she not break down and cry?

"Answer me, damn it!" Din shouted, hitting her across the face. Sakura gritted her teeth; she was not going to scream if she could help it.

Potamos awoke at the sound of the blow. She looked up to meet the sight of Sakura's face. It was nothing like what she had seen before in war situations — it was only a scratch and a red mark — but Potamos' yellow cat-eyes flashed at its sight.

An angry yowl escaped her mouth before she pounced after Din — or at least attempted to. Din smiled as the purple-haired girl realized her disability. She was tied up. The surprised looked was only for a moment. She became angry once more. "Don't touch Sacchan!" Potamos screamed.

Din walked over to the water-demon's struggling form, and placed his index finger on her forehead.

A zap of blue electricity shot into her.

Potamos screamed in agony as it traveled through her body, setting off all her nerves at once. Din then pushed her head back with his finger. She fell into a trembling heap. "That was only two seconds of my most minimal power," Din soothed. "You think you have a chance against me, Potamos? My, how you have fallen since your previous life." Din glanced behind him, where Sakura was still chained. "Potamos, you were such a formidable opponent of Wedding Peach. And look, your precious little Sakura is not even attempting to help you."

Potamos lifted up her head slowly. What was Din talking about? She had never confronted Wedding Peach, as far as she remembered. That would be totally pointless. But what confused her more was Sakura's silence in the matter. Why wasn't Sakura struggling to help Potamos, like she always did? That somehow hurt. Weren't they close friends?

Sakura's head tilted downward, her pink hair covering her face. She was trying to digest all of the information Din was spouting off — while calculating how to escape.

The odds were bad. Very, very bad. If only she could get close enough to Tennyo...

"Potamos, do you even know how important you were during the Great War?" Din asked. "Don't you think it strange how Angel Salvia and Viento seem to grow extremely uncomfortable in your presence?"

Potamos snorted. The electric shock treatment Din gave her seemed to escape her thoughts as her annoyance grew. "A lotta people are uncomfortable around me. Especially IMPORTANT people." She smirked evilly at Din. "And I'm proud of it!"

Din pulled away a strand of his long, light-blue hair. "Well, at least you have some ounce of demon pride left in you," Din said. "But you know whose child Sakura is?"

"I know that she's part-demon and part-angel; SO WHAT?" Potamos screeched.

Two seconds after she said this, her eyes widened. Sakura froze.

The blood-pact Minoru put on Potamos' mouth. It was gone. That meant the elf was...

Sakura shut her eyes, attempting to hold back the tears. Potamos turned away.

Din was ignorant of Minoru's secret-keeper charm. But from Potamos' simplistic answer, it was now evident: the demon did not know the full story of her own past, and Sakura's birth.

Din's smirk faded away. He looked contemplative for a moment, studying Potamos. He pulled out a small, red orb from one of his pockets. It looked like a marble, but it glowed with a strange energy.

"Let me show you two something," he quietly said. "Especially you, Potamos. There is still hope for you."

Din whispered a few words over the tiny sphere. It floated upward into the air, and slowly moved towards Potamos. The purple-haired girl squirmed as the object hovered near her face. "What the hell is that!" the demon shrieked.

"An item that will reveal everything," Din answered. The red orb touched Potamos' forehead, and Din began to recite the ancient demonic incantation. _"Karmic retribution..."_

Sakura's green eyes widened at the pulsing, red energy. Squinting, the kunoichi studied the changes in Potamos. The water-demon's pupils seemed to disappear, leaving blank, yellow orbs.

Din willed the red jewel to come back to him with a slight movement of his finger.

_"Birth and rebirth..."_

Potamos blinked, and her yellow eyes turned cat-like again. She looked confused as she watched Din snatch the red jewel back. _"Bitter grudge, redemption."_ Din's fingers tightened around the item.

He violently threw the marble-like object onto the wall — it broke into a thousand pieces. "Show us the last moments of Potamos' former life!" the thunder-demon ordered.

A red cloud burst out of the remains of the jewel. The smoke filled the room. Sakura held her breath in case it was poisonous. The cloud filled the area at an abnormal fast rate.

And then, the red around her slowly turned clear. This was not an attack — it was an illusion. She could breathe without worrying about toxic fumes.

She was still chained. But Potamos and Din were nowhere in sight. "Potamos?" Sakura called out. Great. This was a complex spell; she did not know any counter-jutsu to cancel this one out.

The water-demon appeared in front of her, standing. "Potamos, you got out of the ropes!" Sakura exclaimed.

She then noticed that Potamos did not answer her. In fact, it was as if she did not notice Sakura in the first place. There were also some physical changes in the water-demon — her facial features were slightly different, her outfit tighter and more revealing. Her eyes were not the yellow which Sakura was familiar with.

Sakura turned her head around. The wall that should have been there was now gone. There stood a girl in civilian clothing, with yellow ribbons in her pink hair.

It was a younger version of Momoko. Her long hair billowed in the wind. She looked tense and frightened.

'This is a flashback,' Sakura realized. It was not her own memory — it happened years before she was even born — but this enchantment allowed her to witness the past. 'Wait a minute... Potamos' last moments? Did Momoko have something to do with this?'

(( Momoko screamed as ropes of water encircled her. Potamos had taken away her Sacred Mirror, so Momoko was still in her human mode. Without her holy item, she could not change into the angel uniform of Wedding Peach.

Potamos grinned, the Sacred Mirror safely tucked away within her bosom. "Even with the Sacred Four Somethings assembled... You're no threat if you can't transform!" The water-demon gave off a triumphant laugh as she floated in the air. "I'll start with you, Wedding Peach! I will _not_ allow you to get to Viento!"

Momoko choked. The aura-controlled water constricted around her throat. 'Yo... Yousuke... No... I can't just give up, without seeing Yousuke...'

Potamos giggled with excitement. Her only romantic rival nestled in the palm of her hand. "Time for you to die, Wedding Peach! Once you're out of the picture... Viento will come to his senses..."

Scarlet, Hinagiku, and Yuri could only watch in horror as their leader was strangled before their eyes. "Momoko!"

A powerful gust of demonic wind fell upon Potamos. She screamed, her concentration broken. The enchanted rope around Momoko splashed away. Her body fell down — and was caught in a warm set of arms. Viento's arms.

Raging winds swirled around the young wind-demon Viento, otherwise known as Fuuma Yousuke. "Potamos..." he hissed. His hazel eyes glared at the purple-haired girl. He knew that the water-demon was attracted to him — but to kill Momoko? That was too much.

Viento tightly held Momoko to him, bridal-style. His gaze on Potamos was cold and frightening. "I told you... to leave Peach _alone_."

Potamos trembled from the massive hate the wind-demon directed towards here. "B-but... It's _your_ fault, Viento..." she softly whined. After all, he told Potamos before that _he_ was going to kill Wedding Peach. Yet instead of attacking the angel, it only seemed like he was protecting her.

Viento felt a warm tug at the front of his black shirt. Momoko.

"Yousuke..." Momoko's face brimmed with relief — and genuine love. She hugged Viento, who looked surprise at her intimate gesture. Even when he was in his full battle regalia, pulsing with demonic energy — she still cared for him. "Yousuke... Oh, I missed you!"

Potamos looked from afar as Momoko buried her face in Viento's neck. Her fists shook in jealousy and anger. "Peach...!" ))

Sakura blinked. 'Potamos... was in love with Viento,' she realized. The closeness Momoko and Yousuke had always touched Sakura's heart. But now that she saw its implications, especially on Potamos...

The scene changed. Somehow, Sakura knew that she did not want to see this. A green-clad demon entered the picture. He looked strikingly like Yousuke, only older. And more cruel.

It registered to Sakura: that was Uragano, Yousuke's father. Biologically, her grandfather.

(( "I'll deal with you three later!"

Uragano threw a wave of demonic aura at the love-angels. Angels Lily, Daisy and Salvia screamed at the powerful blast. Even in their aura-filled uniforms, they were no match for him.

"That'll keep them from meddling." Uragano smirked as he saw his son, Viento, holding the still-powerless Momoko. He aimed his hand at the young couple. "Viento... and Wedding Peach!"

Viento quickly embraced Momoko, using himself as a shield for her. He screamed as his father's energy hit his back.

"Yousuke!" Momoko shouted. She struggled to make him let go of her. Was he insane? Even in his demonic form, he had no chance against his father.

The fearsome wind-demon laughed as he continued to harm his son. "With your fading power of hatred... you stand no chance against my power." He smiled. "Use the love-angel as a shield... It's the only way you can save yourself."

Viento grit his teeth. He heard every word his father said. But he would not budge. Not ever.

A piece of Potamos' heart shattered as she watched. Her lower lip quivered. 'Viento...'

"Let go!" Momoko ordered the wind-demon, nearly in tears. "Let go of me and run! OR YOU'LL DIE!"

"Forget it!" Viento snarled. "I'm not doing that! Just stay still and BE QUIET!"

Tears began to fill Potamos' yellow eyes. 'Viento is... protecting Peach at the expense of his own life...' The water-demon let out a sob. "Why?" Potamos asked out loud. "Why PEACH?" She sniffed. "A demon... and an angel? WHY..."

Uragano scowled in loathing and disappointment. "So, Viento... You're no contender with that human blood... Letting yourself be moved by _worthless_ emotions..." His palm crackled with a dark-green energy. It formed into a volatile cluster of ki. "GET LOST FOREVER!" he shouted, throwing the attack at the two of them.

Potamos gasped. That attack would destroy him — she had to —

Viento and Momoko looked shocked as Potamos fell. The water-demon had jumped in, taking Uragano's attack in order to shield the two.

Viento's arms caught the water-demon. "Potamos!"

Her yellow eyes opened slightly to see his face.

The wind-demon was baffled. "...Why?" he asked. He had treated her horribly before, like some sort of insect. And she took the full brunt of Uragano's force for him and Peach.

"I... I don't really know... but..." Potamos raised her gloved hand to touch his cheek. A hint of guilt shot through him. "I didn't want you to die..." she said simply. "Even... if you do love Peach." She gave a gentle smile. "I wanted you to live, Viento." With the last of her strength, the water-demon raised her head up, and gave him a chaste kiss. "I just... wanted you to live... I love you..."

Her body disappeared in bubbles of blue light. Momoko's Sacred Mirror clattered to the ground.

The fierce Angel Salvia was stunned as she witnessed the scene. It was totally illogical. "A demon... sacrificing herself?"

Momoko covered her mouth with her hands. 'Potamos... she really must have loved Yousuke...' Tears of pity and grief filled the love-angel's eyes. ))

The vision disappeared into red clouds. Sakura blinked. She looked up.

The dungeon was back. Din stood with his arms crossed, looking grim. And Potamos...

The young water-demon — the Potamos of now, the Potamos who had followed Sakura so closely, through laughing moments and near scrapes — trembled as the memories seeped into her psyche. The water-demon did not want to believe it. But those visions were real. They were unnaturally familiar. And they explained too much.

(( "Uncle, I wanna have my fortune told!" a seven-year-old Potamos whined.

"No, Potamos, most soothsayers are frauds," the demon grunted. At the urge of his sister, he had to take his niece to an exotic fair. Potamos, the child she was, was fascinated with everything. He, as a full-grown celestial, was utterly bored.

Unsatisfied, Potamos tugged on her uncle's sleeve as they ambled through the colorful festival. "This lady even said that I was a real something in a former life! Can I ask her? Pretty pleeeease?"

Her uncle froze. His eyes grew sharp. "Are you saying you already saw one?" he asked her harshly. His grip on his niece's hand tightened. "What did she say to you? Tell me!"

Potamos gasped. Her uncle was never this way with her. "She only mentioned something about a 'former life'," she squeaked. "I ran away, saying that I didn't have any money!"

"Stay away from her," the adult ordered.

He then felt the trembling from the girl.

The man gently patted her head, easing away the fear he had unintentionally put into her. "Potamos... Just because there are 'cool' things about, doesn't mean that they'll make you happy. Remember that." ))

Potamos' eyes fell upon the sad expression of Sakura. It clicked. Sakura had been a 'guest' in the home of Viento and Wedding Peach. How else did she get food and lodging so easily from them? And when Potamos examined Sakura's magical abilities, it all made sense.

The purple-haired girl's thoughts lingered on Yousuke and Momoko. They were in love — and it resulted in her death. She was alive NOW, sure. But it made her rather sick, imagining those two together in bed. Especially when the fruit of their love sat right before her eyes, living and breathing.

"Sacchan... you're..."

Something in the way Potamos said it — it pained Sakura's heart.

Din snapped his fingers, and the ropes around Potamos dropped away. She looked confused, wondering why the thunder-demon let her go.

"Get up," Din ordered. Potamos gingerly obeyed, rubbing the sore areas where the ropes held her.

Din pulled an axe from the wall, and offered it to Potamos. "You have the option to go free, Potamos. You are demon-kind, after all. But to prove your worth to me: you must kill Sakura."

Sakura inhaled sharply.

Potamos' yellow eyes narrowed on the weapon. The memories were digging into her. Images and scenes from both her past life and this life mingled in a confused jumble.

"You are not powerful enough to defeat me," Din continued. "If you do not kill Sakura — I will kill you and her both."

Sakura tightened her lips. For her to die by Potamos' hands would be the water-demon's only chance for life. Din was too strong. The bargain was terrible: it was either Sakura alone would die, or Sakura and Potamos both.

Din smiled at the blank look on Potamos' face. She appeared to be studying the axe, but she really was contemplating the choice.

"What is the matter, sweet demon?" he asked gently. "Do you not want revenge for your unrequited love? When your supposed-friend is the physical manifestation of your failure to win Viento's heart?" The blue-haired demon sneered. "Look how happy Viento and Wedding Peach still are now. As if your sacrifice made no difference."

The sweat in Potamos' hands began to show up in her gloves. Her fists tightened as Din held out the axe in front of her, like an offering.

"You are demon-kind. You can kill Sakura. Take it."

After a long silence, Potamos reached out and grabbed a hold of the weapon. She slowly trod over to her chained comrade.

Sakura looked up at the water-demon. 'Potamos...'

The girl's yellow cat-eyes directly met Sakura's green ones. "Ya know what they say, Sacchan," Potamos said in a low tone. "A true shinobi does not display emotions." The girl powered up the weapon with aura, making its blade frosted over with energy.

Potamos lifted the axe, and swung it towards Sakura's chained form.

* * *

"ARGH!"

Orochimaru kicked Sasuke against the wall in a rage. The boy coughed out as he felt another blow go into his stomach.

"You!" the master exploded. He grabbed a hold of Sasuke's neck, and slammed him again into the wall.

Sasuke's eyes were dark, but Orochimaru knew exactly what they looked like a few seconds ago. Sasuke had looked out the window, and spotted some outsiders — using his Sharingan. And the eyes just so happened to have three dark teardrops in each orb.

Sasuke's eyes were fully developed.

"You've been keeping the state of your Sharingan hidden from me all this time," Orochimaru hissed.

Sasuke remained quiet.

The snake-master forced out a laugh. "I must say, I was angry at first — but now I am IMPRESSED with your tenacity. You've already mastered that bloodline limit, and I did not notice until now!"

Sasuke said nothing. The young man wondered why his master had not cracked one of his ribs yet with this revelation. The amount of anger Orochimaru emitted was frightening, even for Sasuke.

The man's grip loosened. He forced his breathing to slow down. Raging about was the last thing he needed, and Sasuke had to trust him.

Finally, he sighed. "You are an intelligent boy," Orochimaru said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Boy?

"And yet... even with that mastered state of the Sharingan, you are in no ways near defeating Itachi. He has the Mangekyou, after all. I can help you with that — for something in return."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You want me as your next vessel," he concluded. And from his suspicions, Orochimaru to transfer his soul into him NOW. No wonder Orochimaru did not seriously hurt him. The master would feel the pain later.

"Yes," Orochimaru replied. "This body is showing the first signs of deterioration. It is in no shape to go after Uchiha Itachi, even though he is coming."

Something within Sasuke flared up. "Itachi's coming?" he snarled. "Here?"

"Yes. A few of my spies say that an attack is soon due," Orochimaru replied. "It would be better to retreat, but maybe this would be the best opportunity to strike Itachi down."

Sasuke growled at this calm answer. Why did his teacher always withhold important information from him until it was almost unavoidable to hide it?

"Listen carefully, Sasuke-kun... If you let me take possession of you, I will fulfill your revenge. You cannot defeat Itachi with your body, but I can. Your bloodline ability with my vast knowledge of jutsu, I — no, _we_ — will be invincible. I myself do not like Itachi. And resurrecting the clan will be easy."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The offer was tempting. Even though it would meant certain departure of his own soul from this world — from his point of view, it would mean freedom. He had not much left in terms of relationships. And wasn't he the one who did not want to contemplate the manner in which he resurrected the clan? Especially when everything precious to him seemed to have disappeared from this world... He did not even see dreams about Naruto, Sakura, or Konoha anymore...

"On your word?" Sasuke asked.

"On my word," Orochimaru said with a grin.


	45. Renewed Resistance

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Thedark called me evil. Ciastor cursed me. And Nocterayne declared her love for me — and hate for me. Some people are actually reading this fic, yeah baby! Because I felt so guilty of that cliffhanger, I decided to upload this chapter two days earlier than I planned.

Okay, I admit: I am one black lady for putting that awful cliffhanger last chapter. There is a reason. Halfway through writing this fanfiction, I was wondering whether cliffhangers had any positive effect on the number of reviews. So I upped the frequency of cliffies in later chapters. Interestingly enough, there was not much difference between the cliffies and the non-cliffies in terms of review numbers. It was constant with five or six reviews per chapter (with the exception of the first seven chapters, since I put those up within a single week or so).

Of course, this data is only on "Dimensional Exchanges"; I don't know how the pattern goes with other fanfictions. The experiment showed that there are usually more reviews when time between updates are longer.

So the lesson us: if you really want reviews, don't riddle each chapter with a cliffhanger and torture the poor readers. Updating on a slow and infrequent basis is so much more effective.

Okay, I'll shut up now. Jeez, some people can't take the truth or a joke.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 45: Renewed Resistance

* * *

The axe swung towards Sakura — and cleaved through the metal chains. Sakura gave a brief smirk before she grabbed a hold of the axe, and disappeared.

"_Hidden Mist!_" Potamos yelled out. A fog covered the room, and both she and Sakura disappeared from Din's sight.

Din sensed the movement — a flying axe emerged from the cloud, and the thunder-demon dodged it only barely. The large weapon imbedded itself into the crusty wall, glowing a brief green before it faded into a black steel once again. Hail shot at him from the right. "Potamos, you traitor!" he snarled.

The fog began to clear, and an outline of a girl began to show through the sheer atmosphere. Din threw a ball of lightning at it.

"Big mistake," a female voice whispered from behind him. A clink of chain was heard before he felt a demonic stab within his back.

(( A little blue-haired boy cried uncontrollably as he clutched on a woman's dead body. "Mommy!" he screamed. Her eyes were diluted. Next to her lay a bloody bundle of towels, with an immobile baby inside. ))

"I will not yield to some mixed breed and a self-sacrificing demon!" Din roared. He expelled a burst of chakra, making the air turbulent with ions.

Sakura and Potamos screamed as they were thrown against the wall together; never before had they felt so much pain.

Din, heavily bleeding in his back, walked over to the two girls. He was wounded by a mixed human and a demon. "What is this world coming to?" he quietly asked.

Potamos grasped a hold of Sakura. "Sacchan, don't fall asleep!"

Sakura blinked, her vision turning into a haze. Potamos bit her lip.

The wounds on Din's back were healing slowly. In fact, it was slower than usual, as the wind-chakra was still biting into his skin. He began to gently laugh as Sakura swallowed her pain, and pointed her katana at him in a threatening manner. "You two are one-of-a-kind. Always risking your lives to save the other, even if it denounces your own image."

"That's the way ninja-teams work," Sakura mumbled, slowly standing up. She smoothly positioned herself, ignoring the pain through her muscles. She could feel Potamos' irregular waves of chakra — the water-demon was scared. "You want to kill me, and me only," the kunoichi calmly said to Din. "I will go down fighting if you try to lay a hand on Potamos."

Din froze as he heard those words. He heard something so similar before.

(( "I will go down fighting if you try to lay a hand on me or Din." ))

"You... you shut up!" Din snarled. The thunder-demon formed a crackling glaive of blue energy. He ran towards Sakura, intending to rip her apart.

A crack in the ground appeared, and something blocked Din's glowing weapon.

"I think you should leave if you know what's good for you," Angel Linton said, his heavy staff holding back the thunder-demon. Backing him up were Amano Takuji the half-angel, and Ambrosia the Amazon girl, who calmly held their stances.

"Haruno-san, you'll be fine now." Takuji looked at the battered Sakura in the corner of his eyes. "You rest. We'll take care of this freak."

"No... He's..." Sakura moaned. "He's too —"

Linton shouted out in pain as he received an angry zap of electricity.

"Linton!" Takuji shouted. Linton was an earth-angel; he was supposed to be immune from most electric attacks. This thunder-demon was more trouble than at first glance.

"Earth Shield!" Linton yelled. His skin slowly turned into a hardened tan.

"Arrogant child," Din scoffed. His blue hair began to waft from the chakra radiating from him. Angel Linton braced himself for the coming attack; he doubted his armor would take everything.

Amano Takuji realized the intensity of the coming blast as well. He had to do something to prevent the thunder-demon from exploding. Sakura was wounded, the normally-brave Ambrosia was tense, and even his rival Linton looked defensive for once. No way in hell would Takuji restrain himself without trying to do something. If he could just get the demon distracted for just a moment...

Takuji looked down to find shards of glass. Or at least, what looked like glass. He grabbed a few of the sharp pieces, and threw them at the glowing demon.

A touch of aura from Takuji's hands transferred into the shards. They sped through the air, and then flecked into Din's eyes. The thunder-demon cried out in pain, clawing at his face.

'Nice, Amano,' Linton thought as he extended his hand. "Diamond Missile, level four!" The sparkling jewels flew out of the ground, and hammered around Din. The demon screamed in agony as his skin was gashed from the hard projectiles.

With a burst of speed, Takuji appeared in front of Din, and performed an upper kick. Din growled at the half-angel's impudence, and gave him a powerful zap. Takuji screamed in pain, and his body went flying.

The half-angel felt himself hit a warm body. Surprise overcame him as he turned his face: Sakura had blocked him before he cracked his skull on the wall. "Haruno-san, you shouldn't have done that!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed. "You're hurt!"

"Not as much as before," Sakura said. She had enough strength to keep up. While Linton and Takuji were holding Din up, she had performed Tsunade's healing jutsu on herself. She carefully observed the combat Angel Linton and Din were in — they only had eyes for each other now. "Listen, Amano-kun," Sakura whispered, "I saw something when you threw those shards. I think you're starting an Awakening."

"How do you know about Awakening?" Takuji asked. "That's only for —"

"Trust me. Just do as I say."

Sakura slipped her hand into Takuji's. He noticed how calloused and rough her palm was. How much did she practice with weapons?

Angel Linton screamed as Din threw a wave of energy at him. Ambrosia, the Amazon in black leather, ran after Din with a spear. "Long weapon versus long weapon, yeah!" she exclaimed, landing an attack onto the blue-haired demon. She actually put up quite a fight of skill, never taking her eyes off of the sharp blade of her opponent's weapon.

Sakura moved Takuji's right hand to fold together with her left — they made a hand-seal. These usually were reserved for partner-jutsu, which were hard and complex. But the two did not need to complete a full-fledged spell; they simply needed a connection of aura. A ninja's hand-seal was just like a word in a magical incantation.

Sakura was going to tap her angel aura into Takuji to help speed up his Awakening, if he was going to come at all. Takuji was in no shape to take on Din now, but if she could just —

Linton groaned as he lay sprawled on the floor.

"Linton!" Takuji shouted. Something inside him snapped as he looked at his rival's still form on the ground. Ambrosia was fighting with all her strength, never mind that she was a non-magical human against a full-grown demon.

Takuji was about to let go of Sakura's hand — when he felt a warmth flowing into him.

A ray of white light broke out from between Sakura and Takuji's folded hands. Takuji gave a quiet gasp as the energy glowed out, and began to fill the entire room. Angel Linton lifted up his head from the murky ground, and smiled as he witnessed the scene. Din glared at the two of them.

The beam twisted into the air — and aimed for Din. It enveloped the thunder-demon at an unnatural speed. It focused on his eyes, and something glinted on his face.

'The piece of the glass Takuji threw before,' Sakura realized. 'But why did the aura decide to focus on there? Din won't get killed in that area.'

Din fell back. He screamed as he felt himself go blind for a split second. Little did he know that everyone else in the room was seeing the exact same thing he was.

'That's the shard from that memory-thingy Din used on me,' Potamos thought. 'Something left of its power must have went into him!'

(( A woman with dark-blue hair dropped on the ground, sobbing. A small Din ran up to her. "Mom, what's wrong?" he frantically asked. "Did I do something? Is it me?"

"No — no, Din," the woman said, trying to pick herself up together. "It's — it's my fault. It's all my fault..." She grasped a hold of her son. "Din, stay away from angels. They will try to help you if you're lonely, or you're powerless; they will only take advantage of you. Do you hear me?"

Din was frightened by his mother's face. It was streaked with tears; she had been crying — but her face looked angry and frustrated. The boy could not figure out at all what his mother was trying to say.

"You dirty whore!" someone yelled from behind the electric-enforced door. Din's mother swallowed. She did not so much as wince as it blasted open. Her husband strode into the room, completely livid.

Din backed away into a corner, frightened of the demon's wrath. He had no idea what the word 'whore' meant, so he first thought that his father was angry at him — not his mother.

The boy braced for the impact. Nothing came. A scream pierced the air. He looked up, and was shocked to see his father attack his mother.

"Dad, don't!" Din yelled. He ran up, and stood between his parents.

"Out of the way! This is for adults only!" the thunder-demon raged. He then glared at his wife. "Well, I somehow don't blame you — ours was an arranged marriage, after all. But tell me who the father is. That mess you just gave birth to... _it_ is definitely no son of mine."

Din looked confused, and frightened. "Dad, don't hurt her!" he pleaded.

"You slept with an angel!" the demon roared.

His wife flinched. She then gave a dry sob.

A long silence ensued.

Her eyes then turned hard. "Don't take it out on OUR son." The woman put a hand on her stomach. She winced as the imbalance of chakra cascaded through her. "I am already paying for my sin."

The face on Din's father paled upon realization. "You're... dying," he croaked out. ))

The vision warped out. It was not complete — but it was enough.

Ambrosia gasped as she backed away from Din. The Amazon was suddenly afraid of his increase in aura. The thunder-demon was very, very angry.

Angel Linton slowly got up. "So that is why you want to kill Haruno-san," he said. "You see her as a parallel of the cause of your family's death. Din of the Raima-Zoku."

Din glared at them. His most private secret was now open to all of these teenage morons. "You have no idea what it feels like," he said in a low voice, "when suddenly, your own mother disgraces the clan, and dies as a result."

"Not to mention, your father committed suicide right afterwards," Angel Linton intoned. "I remember hearing that one family of the thunder-demons experienced such a tragedy. But to think that the child of it survived, and went on to become so twisted..."

Din shook in fury. A chill went down Sakura's spine as she saw the rage in his eyes. Takuji stepped up, guarding Sakura. "There is no reason for you to put your hate on Haruno-san," Takuji said. "As much as I feel sympathy with you, Din, this girl has done nothing against you."

Din's eyes seem to turn hollow. "That is true, she has done nothing against me personally. But if word comes out of what she really is — then my family's tragedy will repeat itself, over and over. I want to kill her for the sake of the celestial peace. Revenge is only a partial thing." He gave a bitter smile in Sakura's direction. "Do you realize what an uproar it will be, if word spreads that Viento and Wedding Peach has a _surviving_ daughter? She will prove herself as the Angel of Death. Minerva will be the first to go, as it will disintegrate if an all-out Holy War comes."

Takuji turned to Sakura, baffled. "You mean —"

"You do have some point," Linton said, rather coldly. "But only if you let this out. Haruno-san is not long for this place anyway. She will be sent back to the world she was raised in."

Din scoffed. "You think I would trust you with that claim? I'm sorry, but I cannot let her go free. I will not take that risk."

Din saw an opening towards Sakura's chest, and lifted a shaking fist. "Die," he whispered.

A crackling ball of energy emerged from his palm, and shot at Sakura. The kunoichi's eyes widened at the coming attack.

Linton gasped — all this time, and he did not sense the power Din was charging up within his hand! Not only would Sakura be killed, but Takuji standing right next to her would probably die as well.

"Amano!" Linton shouted.

* * *

"Let go of me."

The answer from Sasuke was barely coherent. Orochimaru looked bewildered for a moment. The teenage boy still had enough to say something like that, even though his master had a firm grip on his neck.

"Is that a no?" Orochimaru whispered.

"It's a no," Sasuke growled. "Let go of me."

Orochimaru hissed. His face began to turn into that of a madman. This was not supposed to happen. At least, not according to how the curse worked. Sasuke was _not supposed to_ refuse. Those who underwent the second level of the curse lost their will, their sense for being. Sasuke was supposed to be his total control — in body _and_ mind.

"Why, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru began to dig his nails into Sasuke's throat. He had a serious urge to murder the boy — but not until he figured out why Sasuke held on this far into the game.

"I said NO," the Uchiha retorted. "Choose somebody else." He ignored the pain Orochimaru was causing him. In fact, Sasuke was rather proud that he had enough guts to face up against his master in such a dangerous situation. The boy had the perfect chance to hand over his earthly duties, but he refused. Sasuke did not trust Orochimaru. Hell, he trusted no one.

There were plenty of reasons why the avenger decided to live on. First of all, there was the question whether Orochimaru had enough guts to defeat Itachi within a few hours. It usually took a long time for Orochimaru to get used to any special bloodline abilities after transferring his soul. If Sasuke complied and gave up his body now, the dirty man would probably escape with no intention of fighting Itachi.

Sasuke was no idiot when he snuck some peeks of the labs. One particular object caught his eye: a withered hand, with an Akatsuki ring on its small finger. It was probably from one of his old bodies, but it was proof that the snake-master was once in the organization, and left it for some reason. Probably because its members were too dangerous — like Itachi.

But most of all, Sasuke wanted the chance to feel alive. He wanted to fulfill his ambition with his own strength. He had stumbled through the years, convinced that nothing else would satiate his soul. He would give no one else the chance to kill his brother if he could help it. That was it: he had _will._

Sasuke knew the basic workings of the curse seals Orochimaru handed out. He witnessed the others who received a similar marking, and it sickened him. Their very sense of self wasted away — all they could think of was Orochimaru, Orochimaru, Orochimaru. They lost their souls even before they died for his sake; they practically worshiped the man. Sasuke thought it was absolutely disgusting. At nights, he could still feel the wretched mark clawing at his very being. It was mental torture when he felt the curse tempting him to follow his comrades, to put all his trust into this almighty genius snake-man. 'It will make things easier if you just gave in,' it seemed to whisper in his ears. 'Stop thinking. You know well that ignorance is bliss.'

But Sasuke finally realized, that even after all the trash he went through — there was still one thing left that he possessed. His will. He would give that up to no one. Especially not to Orochimaru.

"Let go of me," Sasuke repeated, this time in a more annoyed tone. "There are S-rank criminals coming. We should go."

Orochimaru loosened his grip on Sasuke — and slowly let go. "I see," the older man said in a cold voice. He pulled away some greasy black hair with a shaking hand. He turned to walk out of the room. There was no use threatening Sasuke. Sasuke had to trust Orochimaru completely for the soul-transfer jutsu to work. Any resistance of the slightest posed risk for malfunction.

Orochimaru could be patient. If he kept Sasuke a little longer, the curse would probably break him in no time. It just was not ready now.

But he could still have a little fun.

The apprentice felt a sting. His curse began to throb — Orochimaru was activating it with the connection. The boy tightened his fists as he resisted the pain. Sasuke would not let Orochimaru have the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke-kun... My fingers slipped," the man soothed in a fake manner. "Anyway, you know the emergency escape route."

The pain subsided, and Sasuke nearly collapsed on the floor. 'Like hell it slipped; you did that on purpose!' his thoughts yelled. 'And I've had enough. I'm leaving.'

Orochimaru felt the strange change in the atmosphere — Sasuke was using his pure blue chakra. And it was powerful. 'Damn it,' Orochimaru thought. 'I'll have to make him unconscious and carry him away.'

Sasuke jumped away as a rope of several snakes went after him. "What the hell?" he shouted, dodging the animals. He then felt the seal activating again. He flinched, giving one anaconda enough time to grab a hold of his arm.

"Don't struggle, Sasuke-kun, I am only doing this for your safety," Orochimaru said.

'For my body's safety, you mean,' the boy mentally corrected, punching away the snake with a well-aimed fist. Other snakes were beginning to coil around his other arm. "Damn it; leave me alone!" Sasuke shouted.

A loud crash sounded from the door. Somebody had kicked it in.

Uchiha Itachi.

'Typical. I'm the first one here,' Itachi thought. He suppressed the urge to frown.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like forever to Sasuke.

Sasuke did not barge after Itachi like he did last time. He knew his limits better than before. 'So Orochimaru told me the truth for once,' his inner self scoffed. 'He actually showed up, the bastard.'

"Itachi-kun, how nice to see you again," Orochimaru growled.

The prodigy looked at the master and apprentice coldly. "If you fear me, you will hand over my brother peacefully."

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched. Sasuke recovered from the initial shock — and then immediately flicked his hands together in a sequence. Itachi's Sharingan recognized the order of hand-seals. "Running away again, Otouto?" he asked coolly as Sasuke's form disappeared.

'Katon: Housenka!' (Fire Style: Mythical Fire Flower)

A collection of flares weaved through the air towards Itachi. Itachi's form caught fire — and burst into a cloud. Kage-bunshin.

Sasuke smirked as the room lit on fire. It was too early for him to kill Itachi yet; he obviously was not strong enough. But there was the possibility of creating enough confusion for him to escape. He learned long ago that his sanity was essential in defeating Itachi. He had been Orochimaru's apprentice long enough. Sasuke had to go, and go now — if he was far away enough from Orochimaru, his curse seal would not activate as much. Probably. Maybe.

Actually, Sasuke just wanted to get the hell away from the sick bastard. Besides, the fact that Akatsuki were infiltrating the fortress meant a weakening of Orochimaru's forces. Sasuke was now winging things. Maybe he could try things solo — become an S-rank criminal and live on his own, traveling for missions.

"Oh, no you don't," Itachi whispered. He appeared in front of Sasuke, and aimed a hard blow at his brother's head.

'Sharingan!' The orbs in Sasuke's eyes spun from black into red, and recognized the nature of the attack. He caught his older brother's fist. Of course, Itachi's strength was too great — the pain of impact cascaded through his hands.

"You've mastered the Sharingan, I see," Itachi mused. "But you have not acquired what I have."

Sasuke did not even have time to glare at his murderous sibling. A mass of snakes appeared in a cloud of smoke around them, and enveloped the two brothers.

Within one second, a hail of shuriken hacked the animals to pieces. Itachi had always excelled in his family's shuriken techniques.

Sasuke's red eyes spun into near-confusion as he witnessed his brother's impeccable performance — no one else had this speed, except maybe that strange red chakra that Naruto emitted from time to time. That was an especially aggravating thing about Naruto: the hyperactive ninja had something that the Sharingan could not catch.

Sasuke gasped in pain. The curse seal. 'Hurry up and run; come to Orochimaru!' it seemed to say.

Itachi narrowed his eyes as black markings began to cover Sasuke's body. "You've gone too far to test my patience, Orochimaru." Itachi performed a long set of hand-seals; although with his speed, it was done within a few seconds.

Itachi's palm began to glow a strange hue. And then, he hit the center of the curse with it. Sasuke did not see it coming, as his eyes were scrunched up together from the intense pain.

A look of relief crossed Sasuke's features before he fell unconscious. The boy fell limp into his brother's arms.

(( "Here's the jutsu," the tengu said, handing Itachi an overtly-thick scroll.

Itachi rolled out the scroll, and narrowed his eyes. "Such a large number of hand-seals."

"Well, there is a possibility that ONE mistake would end in failure, even end your life," the tengu mentioned. "It's like forgetting a minus in a math equation. If it's wrong, it's wrong — and kaboom. So learn it right. Oh, you might want to proof-read that scroll before you learn the jutsu; some spots of ink might have been rubbed off from age."

Itachi frowned as he read the scroll. "The things I do..."

"Are insane," the tengu finished for him. The only hint of a smile showed in the crinkling of his old eyes — he had a beak instead of lips, after all. "Whoops, your shark friend is coming. Beware, beware, the end is near!" With a _poof_ of black feathers, the youkai went away, cackling. ))

Itachi was slightly impressed that the jutsu worked, but he did not show it. He caught several kunai from the air.

"Damn you, Itachi!" Orochimaru hissed. He destroyed some of Itachi's Kage-Bunshin while evading the others. A few of them exploded. 'Of course. Suicidal Kage-Bunshin, an invention of Itachi,' Orochimaru noted.

After much racket and many explosions, the smoke subsided. Orochimaru smiled as he saw a panting Itachi holding a limp Sasuke. "My, since when were you your brother's keeper?" the master asked.

Itachi frowned. Even though he could take on Orochimaru alone, this situation played to his disadvantage. Sasuke was an extra burden — the Akatsuki did not even know that Itachi was saving him. His chakra was nearly used up, as exploding Kage-Bunshin took up a lot of energy.

And where the hell were the other Akatsuki members? Where were they when one needed them?

A chorus of screaming echoed from the second floor. Oh, THERE they were. Leave Itachi to confront one of the Konoha Lengendary Sannin alone. How typical of his 'friends' in the organization.

"Leave Sasuke here," Orochimaru said. "I know your level of chakra. Even though your Kage-Bunshin are a marvel, you now have backed yourself in a dangerous corner for performing it too often."

Itachi heaved, trying to keep his face cool. His visage showed annoyance and frustration.

Orochimaru smirked. Even the Akatsuki was not enough to defeat his forces. He finally could beat this genius to a bloody pulp, even without Sasuke's body. As for Sasuke — Orochimaru would use him for later, especially with his revenge on Konoha.

The Itachi in front of him suddenly exploded, along with Sasuke.

Orochimaru jumped out of the window in time, expecting just as much. 'Itachi had created two Kage-Bunshin, and transformed one of them into Sasuke,' he realized. 'Then they held me up, and exploded when it was due. I was careless... But I have other tricks up my sleeve.'

Itachi fell down the cliff from the hideout, holding the unconscious Sasuke next to him. The ground was fast approaching. He flicked his hands together for a jutsu that would soften the impact. "Idiot," he muttered. He glanced at Sasuke's form, the curse seal now receding. "That goes for you as well, Otouto."

Orochimaru staggered, and watched from the building as Itachi left the area.

His frown turned into an insane grin. "I win, Itachi," Orochimaru said. "Kidnapping Sasuke will not help you at all."

* * *

Notes:

"Linton" - a dark (but later somewhat-nice) character in the novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë.

"Ambrosia" - the food of the Olympian Gods of Greek Mythology.

"Otouto" - 'little brother', of course. (But the fact that Itachi calls him that, instead of just "Sasuke" like he used to, shows a particular aloofness.)


	46. Meeting Again

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

The scene between Momoko, Yousuke, and Sakura coming up was influenced by "Kodomo no Omocha". I do not own this, either.

About Itachi's exploding Kage-Bunshin: it is an actual move that he created. He used it when he and Kisame were battling Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi. Itachi actually retreated when Gai showed up and pointed out a way to effectively fight his Sharingan (don't look into his eyes, and use taijutsu). So Itachi does have a weakness, even in the manga. It just has to do more with strategy than official 'power'.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 46: Meeting Again

* * *

Sakura could not move. She was so scared as Din's hand flashed with blue electricity. The ball of energy was beginning to separate from his palm. Was she supposed to dodge this? Din's attack... it looked so much like Sasuke's Chidori. At the same time, it was quietly formed like Naruto's Rasengan. 'No...'

(( "NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke and Naruto ran after each other, exchanging a flurry of punches and kicks on the roof of the hospital. Naruto skidded away, and put his fingers together. "Tajuu Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled out. ))

The kunoichi suddenly felt a shove from beside her. She realized it was Takuji, trying to protect her. 'Takuji.'

(( Naruto and one of his Kage-Bunshin rolled chakra together between their palms. A spinning Rasengan formed.

A chill of wonder mingled with panic went through Sasuke as he observed from the air. 'What! What is that jutsu!'

"Shit!" Sasuke performed the three hand-seals, and extended his left hand out. The screeching sound of chirping birds filled the air. 'Chidori!'

"Stop..." Sakura mumbled. A bead of sweat went down her neck. But what could she do? "Both of you..."

She suddenly found herself running towards them.

"STOP!" she screamed. ))

A heartbeat. It was all that passed.

A trickle of blood escaped Din's mouth. His eyes were wide open in surprise.

Tennyo was thrust through the demon's chest, with Sakura holding the end.

The kunoichi herself had a look of shock on her face, horrified of what she had just done. She had never learned any move of this sort, not even from Angel Salvia. Kendō and iaidō were limited to a few thrusts and slices. Not a savage two-foot stab through the gut. But something had told her that this had to be done.

Takuji, Potamos, and the rest of the company stood around, appalled at the scene. How could such a young human girl have the stomach to do such a thing? She was not even an Amazon like Ambrosia was.

The thunder-demon coughed in pain. Din felt his soul drift away from this world. "Very good," he whispered.

His light-blue hair was obscuring his eyes. He then looked up to Sakura's face.

His glare was full of loathing.

"Very good," Din repeated. But his tone made it sound more like a curse than a compliment. Sakura had used chakra, but not in her katana — it was in her body. She somehow tapped enough into her muscles and legs, quick enough to reach Din before he released his attack. A normal blade was what was killing Din. That was what was so disgusting to him.

The thunder-demon was not finished yet. If he was dying, he was going to take Sakura with him using the Dimension Ring. Perhaps he could grab a hold of her soul, and pull her into hell with him. 'Karmic retribution, death and rebirth...'

Angel Linton recognized the vile aura, and struck Din's hand with his staff. He twisted the staff to hook onto the Dimension Ring. "Holy Seal!" he shouted.

The powerful bracelet separated from Din's wrist, and clattered to the ground. A temporary seal closed around the talisman.

A shot of hopelessness went through Din as his trump card was taken away. He could not even fight anymore. His will was escaping along with his essence. 'Mother... Father...' A strange aura from Sakura flowed into him. It felt rather angelic — but he was too tired to think about it or hate it.

Sakura watched as the thunder-demon in front of her disintegrated. He fell apart into a cloud of blue sparkles.

Tennyo was still in Sakura's hands. 'What have I done?' she asked herself. 'What is happening to me?'

Sakura felt numb. She had killed plenty of monsters, most of them in a mad frenzy to slaughter anything that seemed edible. But she had never killed a human or celestial before. Sakura was not a high-ranking kunoichi back in the Shinobi World. Here she was just a human.

One would think that it would be easier on the conscience to kill a murderous demon. She had killed Din within a split-second.

So why was she regretting it now?

It was that memory charm on Din. That was it. Even though he was a demon by definition, he could feel emotional pain. Sakura slaughtering him was probably the worst blow to his pride. What was more pitiful was that nobody would even try to avenge Din's death, because there was not a single person who cared about him. He had been orphaned, after all.

Tennyo clattered to the ground. Sakura dropped to her knees, touching the place where Din's blood only recently spilled.

Sakura thought back to the Shinobi World. All those images of war and slaughter that she saw in dreams, disrupting her sleep: they were scenes of the Great War between angels and demons. Was the war still going? Din's family took the brunt of it. The little love the thunder-demon felt back then disintegrated into a perverted hate, eventually leading to his death. A death by a human.

Potamos gulped, and walked over to Sakura. She kneeled down to her teammate. "Sacchan?" she whispered. "Are ya' okay?"

Sakura's hands were shaking on the ground. "I... I'm a murderer," she croaked. Her thoughts lingered on the small, frightened little boy in the memory charm, who would later grow up to be Din. She killed the boy. She killed him.

Linton walked over, and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Both you and Amano would probably be dead if you did not act as quickly as you did," he said. "You did it in self-defense." The earth-angel looked up to Takuji, who seemed frozen at the spot. "Amano, activate the opening to Minerva," he ordered.

Takuji did not heed Linton's voice. Instead, he walked over, and knelt down to Sakura. He knew that she was crying, even though no sound escaped her. She helped him before. Now he wanted to help her. "Haruno-san, I—"

The kunoichi somehow found her voice. "Be quiet, Amano-kun," Sakura whispered at the half-angel. "What would you know?" Takuji flinched at the bitterness in her voice. Only months ago, she was smiling, accepting his basket of fruit, and cheering for him at the tournament. What happened to the smart, beautiful girl he had a crush on?

The Amazon, Ambrosia, began to boil in anger at Sakura's cold reply. Linton breathed. "I understand the confusion you are going through, Haruno-san," Linton said gravely. "But do not take it out on Amano. He will go through the same thing as you sometime."

Potamos reached over, and hugged Sakura. "Din died for his family and beliefs, Sacchan," she said quietly. "That's just the way celestials are. You even helped Din, in a way."

Sakura began to tremble at these words. "Helped him? I KILLED him, for crying out loud!" The tears rolled down her face. "It would have been a lot easier for all of us if that memory-charm was never used. And Potamos! I can't believe you still stuck with me, even when Din showed what happened to YOU!" The kunoichi buried her face in her hands. "Don't you see? _I'm not supposed to exist!_"

The water-demon patted Sakura's head in a gentle way. "If you're still hung up on that thing with Viento, I'm over it," Potamos said. "That was a different life. The past. Over and done with. You are Sacchan to me — not Viento's daughter. You even said that yourself, 'member?" The gentle cheeriness in the water-demon's voice made Sakura feel even worse.

Linton began to lose his composure. " 'I'm not supposed to exist'? Don't talk to us about existence like that!" he shouted. "You just saved Amano's life. He'd be dead without you!"

"Scarlett-sensei — Angel Salvia — she was ordering you to protect me!" Sakura choked down a sob, and looked up at the earth-angel. "If I were not here, then you would never have run into such danger in the first place."

Linton sighed, putting his hand on his forehead. "But YOU'RE ALIVE. And that's all there is to it." The earth-angel looked at the ground, and picked up a shard of the memory-charm. There was no aura left in it, signaling that its powers were finally gone. "The thing is, Haruno-san," Linton continued, "You freed Din by ending his life. I know that sounds cold-hearted, but think about it. You killed him because you wanted to save Amano — and with that act, you took Din out of his living hell. Din had great mental strength to not end his life after the death of his parents, and went to great lengths to fulfill himself. There is something to admire in that."

Sakura turned away, wiping her eyes. She was somewhat glad that Potamos and Linton were accepting her. But the guilt was cementing onto her heart. 'If only none of this had happened... If only I wasn't the cause of Minoru's death... I should never have been born!'

Linton sighed. A short pep talk from him was not going to cure Sakura. That would take years, maybe even a lifetime. He did not know how long this would affect her.

But one thing was certain: she had to go home.

* * *

Itachi slowly quietly jumped through the trees. Sasuke was slung over his shoulder, like some sort of carcass. Since when had Sasuke become this heavy? Was it muscle or fat? 'God damn it, Orochimaru pampered him.'

The Uchiha put some chakra in his legs, and carefully skipped down to the ground. He needed rest. Itachi let Sasuke down, setting him against a tree.

The plan of the infiltration was to get in together, and get out separately. The Akatsuki's next meeting would be held within a month or so. Itachi could babysit his younger brother for a little while longer. He had been traveling for nearly a day, trying to find a safe place to dump the unconscious Sasuke off.

As long as Sasuke did not amble back to Orochimaru, Itachi did not care what his little brother decided to do. Whether it was to become a pathetic solo criminal, or go back to that peacefully-moronic home village called Konoha.

A twig snapped from a distance. Itachi narrowed his eyes. This aura — it could only be...

"Itachi-san, you should not carry around a load like that," Kisame said, appearing from the shadows. He looked at the limp figure next to the trees. "You have not grown sentimental, have you?"

"I have my reasons," the Uchiha said calmly. He and Kisame agreed to separate for a while right after the battle, but it seemed like his partner had enough suspicion to trail him. How annoying.

Itachi quietly calculated the situation. If he did not do anything about Kisame, the shark-man would probably report this to the other Akatsuki members. Threatening him would certainly not work, because Kisame had an annoying temper. And, of course, Itachi could not kill him, tempting as it was. Killing or abandoning a fellow member was a big no-no in their organization. The rest of the group knew Itachi's moves well enough to know what happened if they found Kisame's body, or parts of it. As much as a genius he was, the Uchiha was not capable of going up against the entire organization alone.

A tengu shook his head in the trees. 'You slipped this time, Itachi. I finally have proof that you're human! Well, you ARE human, no matter what level of power you've achieved...'

A snap pierced the night's silence.

An arrow sank into Kisame's shoulder blade. The gray-skinned man snarled as he looked up in the trees. Whoever did that was going to pay. Yet some part of him warned that this was dangerous. Kisame could dodge hidden traps — even normal arrows, if he heard the shot soon enough. But the stick in his back, as far as he could tell, was NOT normal. He could not even dodge it after hearing it.

Itachi noticed a figure in the trees. His dark eyes reverted into the red Sharingan. 'Interesting,' the man noted. 'He's moving around using only his physical strength. There is some chakra produced, but not much...'

Kisame was about to perform a water-jutsu to kill the impudent one. He then realized that the muscles in his left arm were cramping up. The arrow in his back was not very deep, as the thick trench coat acted somewhat like a shield. But it felt like the arrow was _crawling_ around him.

Kisame turned, and saw that sprouts of vines were growing out of the arrow.

"Bastard, I'll kill you!" Kisame hissed. He clawed the arrow out with his free arm. He could swear that there were roots in that thing, penetrating even his tough shark-skin. Another arrow was shot. The shark-man barely escaped with the Kawarimi no Jutsu, replacing himself with a log. He growled, but jumped through the trees.

"I think you have the disadvantage against this one, Kisame," Itachi intoned. "You don't move well when you're dehydrated. Leave it to me."

With those words, Kisame disappeared into the night.

Itachi watched his partner retreat. 'You could have at least offered me a few extra weapons,' he thought. Yet this stranger made him curious. What enemy was this, whose movements were undetected until now? And the fact that even Kisame feared this outsider... He looked up, and saw a feint glint of blond hair. Itachi's pupils spun, and he leapt up into the trees. Whatever let that arrow loose was probably bad at close hand-to-hand combat.

A figure kicked Itachi in the chest. Itachi twisted himself through the air, and jumped off the tree trunks with chakra in his legs. Okay, so this person had some experience in close combat. Good experience, in fact. Not as great as some taijutsu specialists, but decent. It was also in a style that Itachi had not seen before, which meant that he had to be extra careful. Like any form of martial arts, Sharingan would definitely not catch this until he had more chances to study its movements.

'Well, this will be interesting,' the Uchiha thought as he flicked his hands together. 'I should test this one. The person's archery skills are almost supernatural...' He could risk fighting this one. The fact that the stranger shot Kisame first, and not Itachi, meant something important. 'He could be of some use.'

The moonlight exposed the unknown's face. The facial contours suggested that of a woman — but Itachi noticed the Adam's apple at the throat. Definitely a man.

The stranger's ears were pointed. Pointed? 'Maybe it's an advanced bloodline,' Itachi reasoned. The stranger also had unusual green and tan regalia, disguising himself well into the trees.

Itachi flicked his hands together behind his trench coat, and released a fire-jutsu. A few branches in the vicinity lit up. There was slight risk of a forest fire, but Itachi did not care. The trees could take an occasional scorching or two, and it was good for confusing the opponent. 'If only I had enough chakra to make Kage-Bunshin,' Itachi thought. 'It would be easier to just run away...'

'So this is the power of a human,' the blond stranger thought, dodging the storm of flares Itachi gave off. A flame brushed the stranger's cheeks. The smell of burnt hair wafted in his nose. Even at his speed, these were close shaves. Too close. The figure's boots scraped against the trees. He did not have the luxury to move quietly now. He knew that his raven-haired opponent now considered this a battle situation, ready to kill in self-defense. 'Amazing. He has not an ounce of hatred for me, yet is ready to kill on a whim.'

The blond jumped away some distance, and hid himself in the trees. He held out his hand. Vines began to grow out of his wrist, forming into a new bow. He had to do this quickly and efficiently; his opponent was too fast. An arrow of tan-colored ki formed across the bow's string.

A snap was heard. Itachi felt his shoulder being stabbed.

It burned unpleasantly in his flesh. Itachi growled as he noticed the fading of light — it was an arrow of pure chakra that shot him. The Uchiha twisted his body through the air and landed like a cat onto a thick branch.

"One big weakness of ninja," the figure called out from the treetops. "Disable the arms, and no more magic." He snickered a little.

A second later, he felt something cold at his neck.

"One big weakness of non-ninja," Itachi replied, holding a kunai at the stranger's throat. "They don't realize when they've been sneaked upon from behind."

The blond figure smiled in an unusual manner. "It would be in your best interest not to move that blade across my jugular," he quietly said. "I am the representative from the other place."

* * *

"Are you sure that Minoru is gone?" Scarlett asked. "To think that Din found the Dimension Ring... Thank God that Linton knew how to create a temporary seal."

Yuri sighed, brushing away her wavy brown hair. "I don't feel any of Minoru's psychic energy coming from the Rifts. Of course, it is difficult to track anything there. I would not put my hopes up."

Momoko and Yousuke was talking with Amano Takurou, who at the moment was configuring the dimensional leap on his computer. Sakura was finally going back home.

A green cloak draped around Sakura's form as she sat at a table. Potamos was next to her.

"So you're going to a different dimension," the water-demon said quietly. "Professor Amano said that it was a world of ninja. Is that really true?"

Sakura smiled weakly. "Sort of. Shinobi act as spies, sometimes soldiers. There might be more powerful beings around. The adults in my village say that there were youkai-demons in the past, but I haven't really seen any, per say."

"Wow." Potamos folded her arms onto the table surface, and laid her head down. Her yellow cat-eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm going to miss you, Sacchan. I wish I could come with you."

"You could, if you wanted to," Sakura said. "The energy we collected was only for opening a wormhole. The actual teleporting is done with a magic command."

"But even if I go there, I would be in danger," Potamos grumbled. "I still need to control my aura. People would probably attack me on sight if I jump into your world. I mean, I might be able to wipe out a lot, but their gods would probably not appreciate a mass slaughter..."

"Sakura," a voice said from behind. Sakura turned around to meet the faces of Momoko and Yousuke. "Could we talk to you privately before you leave?" Momoko asked hesitantly. Sakura nodded and quietly got up from her chair. She followed the husband and wife to the corner.

Potamos looked away, trying not to stare at the three. The memory of her previous life was beginning to fade away, so seeing them together was not as painful as she had imagined. But it was still rather awkward. At least Momoko and Yousuke did not know about Din's memory charm on Potamos — that would have made things more uncomfortable than necessary.

Potamos could live without Viento. She had no grudge, because a real grudge took years to accumulate. The purple-haired girl had a new life, and could find someone else. And had Momoko and Yousuke's love never existed, Potamos would never have experienced her friendship with Sakura.

"Potamos, we need to talk," a voice said from behind. Potamos jumped, and turned around to meet Scarlett.

The water-demon peeped in fright and humility. "Angel Salvia-sama! I swear, I had nothing to do with Mino-chan's disappearance—"

"I know," Scarlett said. "Calm down. I am not here to reprimand you. In fact, I have an assignment for you." She gave a rare smile to Potamos.

'Is that supposed to be a good thing?' Potamos wondered.

* * *

Sasuke groaned. He sat up, feeling like he had been drugged. God, did he fall asleep?

The recent events then washed over him. Orochimaru's snakes. Itachi. Itachi relieving the curse seal.

The curse seal. Sasuke touched it with his hand. It was still there. It pulsed a bit, but not much. The teenager looked around, and noticed the heavy amount of foliage around. He recognized it as the massive forest surrounding Konoha.

Fire Country. If he was in this area, and it was night... Then at least a few days had passed since the Akatsuki break-in.

What was Itachi thinking when he brought Sasuke here? Moreover...

'Wait a minute. Does this mean I'm... free?'

Sasuke shivered. He was away from Orochimaru. He was not in any ninja village. Hell, he could choose to travel out of this country.

This was the solitude he always longed for. It felt refreshingly cold, like dipping into a chilly pool on a humid day.

Maybe he could get used to this. If the young Uchiha could just quietly hide himself, walking around for a road, he could get out of the Fire Country. He still had his ninja gear. Sasuke could survive in the wilderness for a while until he stumbled into a normal village. He would have to be very careful not to meet a Konoha ninja, but other than that... He would be okay.

The young man got up, brushing himself off. He touched his forehead, and realized that there was no hitai-ate there. Itachi must have taken it.

Sasuke walked.

And with every step, a single black mark leaked out of the seal.

* * *

"Sakura, we're amazed at how much you've grown," Momoko said. She tilted her head downward, the pink bangs hiding her blue eyes.

Yousuke observed Momoko curiously. He remembered back in their younger times, when he met her as a loudmouthed girl. He made fun of her for a time being. But then she began to show her true strength of heart. He had watched her grow into a beautiful lady. Now, Yousuke saw the same change in Sakura, even though he had known her as a person for a very short period of time.

"I learned a lot in this dimension," Sakura said quietly. She felt awkward talking to them. They knew that she had run away, and that Minoru was sucked into a vortex.

They also knew that Din was killed by Sakura's hands. Although Yousuke thought it was a 'good riddance', Momoko was rather startled. She knew she should have expected just as much, with Sakura going into the Rifts and all. But some part of the love-angel was pained that Sakura had to go through it.

"Sakura, I want you to have this." Momoko held out her hand. In her palm was a pink, familiar-looking object.

"That's... part of the brooch you used to send me to the Shinobi World," the kunoichi said. Momoko nudged it in front of her, and Sakura picked it up. "I thought it broke when you brought me to this dimension." The jewel was still beautiful. The only difference in the object that it had the pin removed in the back — it was not a brooch anymore. Sakura looked at the edge of the stone, and saw that a large hole was vertically drilled through it, like a bead.

"Only the metal portion was banged up from being used as an energy reserve twice. The stone was still intact," Yousuke said. "It was such a shame to waste it, so we asked a jewel-shop to make it into a netsuke. You know, a bead that hold together inrou — those little wooden boxes that samurai carry around? Having something like that instead of a brooch... It would make you look a lot less conspicuous in your world. Especially when you'll have Tennyo with you."

"I get to keep Tennyo?" Sakura asked. Part of her was jumping in joy. But she also wondered: how was she going to explain a katana in her possession when she came back to Konoha? 'Oh, well, I'll just hide it until I get to Tsunade-sama,' she decided.

"It was gift from Scarlett, and our team," Momoko said. "Of course you can keep Tennyo — part of your aura is already infused into the core. So much, in fact, that no one can wield her except you." Momoko gave a gentle smile.

Sakura blinked. Something saddened the kunoichi as she looked at the netsuke in her palm. "I thank you for everything," Sakura said. "Really, I do. But I have to say this now."

The girl breathed. This had to be made clear. "Momoko, Yousuke... I cannot call you my parents."

A slight look of pain rushed over Momoko's face, but she brushed it off. "I know, Sakura," the love-angel quietly said. "That would be too much to ask."

"But there is one other thing," Sakura murmured. She walked over to Momoko, and reached over to take her hand. "I... thank you for sending me to the Shinobi World."

Momoko's lower lip trembled, and she put her free hand over her mouth.

"I understand how painful it must have been to let go of me, right after I was born," Sakura continued, a tear escaping her green eyes. Yousuke looked down, trying with all his might to keep a sensible expression on his face.

Sakura gave a gentle squeeze on the angel's hand. "Thank you, for sending me there to have a chance at life — and I thank you for doing it again. From the bottom of my heart."

A gentle sob escaped Momoko's lips. Sakura lowered her eyes, which now had tears dripping quietly.

Sakura let go of Momoko's hand, and wiped her eyes. She looked up to see the face of her biological mother. There was partial sadness in the woman's blue eyes — but pride and happiness shone through as well, making Sakura feel better.

Yousuke coughed. "They need you there, Sakura," the wind-demon said bluntly. "We know you can take care of yourself."

Momoko's face shot up, and she glared at her husband for his unfeeling reply. Sakura was their daughter, for crying out loud! The love-angel was about to scold him, when she finally realized: he was trying to cover up his embarrassment of almost crying in front of Sakura.

Sakura noticed this as well. The kunoichi shook her head. 'Men,' she thought.

* * *

Sasuke seemed to be in a daze. As the hours went by, he felt something slip away from him. He did not feel any pain, because he felt nothing to begin with.

Itachi rescuing him put Sasuke in a state of confusion. Why? Why did he do it?

'Go to Orochimaru,' a voice whispered.

Little did Sasuke know that his black hair slowly turned into a white.

Sasuke fell to his knees. His muscles were exhausted, although he did not know this. His mind and body were not in conjunction with each other; the curse seal was interrupting his brain and nervous system. Physical exhaustion and pain did not translate as 'bad' in his mind.

Sasuke gingerly got up, and noticed that there was a red liquid on his knees. 'Why didn't that hurt?' he thought. Some part of him began to grow scared. His brain was not working the way it was supposed to.

And yet, at the same time... He wanted to see more blood. He licked his lips.

He felt a sudden urge to kill anything alive.

Sasuke spotted someone walking in the forest. This stranger in the green cloak would be his first victim.

A few strands of long, pink hair escaped the person's hood.

Sasuke hesitated. Pink? He was sure that he knew of someone with that hair color — someone terribly important.

There were many thoughts swirling in him. It was all sorts of emotions. Sasuke did not even know which ones properly belonged to him. 'Don't you dare lay a hand on her; keep her out of this!' - 'Ignore that person, and walk away.' - 'Don't you remember?' - 'What's the point of killing for the hell of it? It will just bring trouble.' - 'How can you forget? Wake up!' - 'Just WALK AWAY.'

But the voices of reason, and perhaps love, were immediately drowned out by the temptations of the curse. 'Kill for Orochimaru. Prove your worth to him. Kill anyone who crosses your path...'

The stranger stopped in her tracks. She had noticed Sasuke.

Sasuke could feel something ripping out of his back. He held out his palms, and noticed the unnatural color of his flesh.

'No! Don't do it!' his conscious screamed.

His conscious fell into a mental black hole.

A gruesome hiss escaped Sasuke's mouth.


	47. Sacrifice of the Soul

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

This chapter is short, but intense. And things are not always what they seem at first glance.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 47: Sacrifice of the Soul

* * *

Sasuke watched the green-cloaked stranger gracefully skip up the trees. He immediately followed charging in. The Uchiha's speed increased at least two-fold with the second level of the curse. His body was, bluntly put, a monster now.

'I might have to fight this oni... youkai, whatever,' the cloaked one decided.

She pulled off the lightweight cloak, and slung it over her shoulder — revealing the face of Haruno Sakura. Her hair was tied back, although a few locks of pink freely swayed in the air. "It seems like I have to fight another demon," she said in a grave tone.

Sasuke flinched as he heard her voice. It was strangely familiar. And her eyes were unbelievably cold. Something told him inside that they were not supposed to be like that. Green eyes, especially this girl's — they usually were warm and kind.

But how could he know for sure, considering that he did not even know himself?

'So this is the obstacle Scarlett-sensei warned me about,' the kunoichi thought. She carefully controlled her breathing to preserve her own stamina and chakra. The flavor of the monster's aura through the air was strong, a terrifying purple. And the transformation that this thing underwent: 'It must have been a person before,' Sakura thought.

Her hand gripped Tennyo's hilt. 'And why is its aura so familiar?'

The kunoichi was very nervous of facing off against a monster of this dimension, but by no means was she terrified. The practice in the other world paid off. No matter how modestly humanoid it was, Sakura had no scruples against killing a dark being with bat wings. She had to live, for the sake of her parents and friends in Konoha. And she certainly would not let the efforts of Momoko's team, especially Scarlett's training, go to waste.

(( Amano Takurou pointed at the computer monitor. "Sakura, the quickest way to your village is to send you to this point. I updated the teleportation system, and your chakra control is perfect. So I calculate your landing will be quiet and graceful." The scientist gave off a wry smile. "Not like that crater Yousuke made when he barged into the Shinobi World to fetch you."

"Shut up," Yousuke growled, earning giggles from Momoko and her teammates behind him.

Sakura swallowed nervously as she studied the map. "A two-hour walk from Konoha, northwest... I should be able to handle that area."

"From what you tell me of security there, you might be attacked by your own village's ninja by accident," Scarlett intoned. The red-haired angel glanced at her student. "Are you still willing to take that chance?" ))

Sakura smiled. Of course she was willing to take that chance, even now. Be it ANBU members or youkai-demons in her way, she was hell-bent to go home. Sakura's thumb touched the guard on her sword, and the weapon clicked loose from its scabbard.

The monstrous being ran toward the pink-haired girl.

"Stay away!" Sakura yelled as Tennyo flashed out. The blade hummed through the air, a brief melody of steel. A tiny clash rung, and the two jumped away from each other from the impact.

Sasuke was surprised at the sudden push he experienced. His feet skidded on the ground. He managed to retain his balance, and halted on the dirt. He crouched down like a beast. The boy looked at himself: a shallow cut was made on his arm. Not only that, but one of his nails, crystallized hard by Orochimaru's curse, was actually cut by his opponent's katana. He growled.

A trickle of sweat went down Sakura's neck. Not only was this demon fast, but Tennyo's wind-attack was weaker than usual. The kunoichi had been confident that it would create more damage — in fact, she had done it quite well in the Rifts — yet the attack was not as strong as before. Was the aura from the monster so great that it acted as a barrier?

(( "We had to wait until your angel and demon forces neutralized completely," the doctor explained. "The new world just gave you a different environment in terms of spiritual energy, or 'chakra', as you call it. Once you grew up and were physically stronger, you could come back to our dimension. The fatigue you are experiencing right now is your body adjusting to the new spiritual-energy system." ))

(( "You, Sakura, have a fourth each of angel and demon blood. Under normal circumstances, they would act against each other, which was why you were unusually weak as a baby. Then as you grew up in the Shinobi World, your mixed blood settled down." ))

Sakura paled. 'Oh, fuck. This dimension has a different spiritual energy system. This world must not be accepting all my foreign chakra, so my special attacks aren't as powerful here!' She growled inwardly. 'What the HELL was I doing in that other dimension when I focused on my demonic and angelic powers?'

The dark being lunged at her with a burst of ki in his legs. Sakura gave a quick gasp as she backed off from it. Her opponent was brawling all out, far from attacking strategically. He was immensely strong and fast.

His hand swung towards her throat. A tearing noise was heard.

A chilly breeze touched her lower neck. Sakura realized that there were now three rips on her dress, exposing her neck and upper-chest area. The thing had claws. Chakra went into her legs, and she backed away with careful jumps.

The monster froze in his movements. The scared look on the girl's face jerked a piece of Uchiha Sasuke's soul back. Shaking, his hand slowly went up to his forehead. What was he doing? Who was this person in front of him? Who was he?

Sakura traced her hand up, and felt the wound under the pieces of shredded cloth. The warm blood trickled out. 'Good, it's not too deep,' Sakura thought. 'Chiyute no Jutsu.' Her fingertips glowed a pleasant green before sealing up the tiny gash. The kunoichi carefully wrapped both her hands over Tennyo's handle again, and gave a mysterious smile. 'So that's it: chakra can still go through my body. The demon and angel blood might not be as effective here. But I still have normal jutsu. Not to mention, kendō and iaidō.'

The forest was quiet, but the voices in Sasuke's head were deafening. Sasuke bit his lip hard. A line of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

Sakura then noticed the shaky hesitancy of her opponent. He, or it, clutched his head as though in anguish. It was strange that he was not attacking her like before. He was obviously strong and fast enough to hurt her — he was berserk only a moment ago, thus her distance from him. 'Wait a minute. If he has so much of that vile aura, why hasn't he tried to land more hits on me? It's as if he's holding himself back...'

The Uchiha sank onto the ground, trembling. He managed to force something intelligible out of his lips.

"Go... away..." he whispered.

Sakura's psyche clicked. That voice. Those words.

"Sa... Sasuke?"

* * *

Minoru's eyes narrowed. Sitting in his place from the trees, he pulled an arrow across the shaft of his bow, and aimed at the metamorphosis.

Itachi looked at him. "Don't do it."

Minoru held his arrow steady. "My arrows are effective on undead beings." He aimed carefully at the transformed Sasuke. "And I promise you that I won't miss."

Minoru's fingers let go of the bowstring.

One swing. Minoru's arrow fell harmlessly to the ground, along with a kunai.

"You missed," Itachi said in a monotone, spinning a second kunai in his finger. Any hint of humor in his words was covered by a cold look.

Minoru glared at the raven-haired man for making him lose aim. "What was that for?" he asked. "Don't interfere with me; that girl will die if we don't quickly do something about that monster."

"Hmpf. You only want to kill my little brother."

An eyebrow of Minoru twitched. "That little bastard," the blond said as he pointed at the scene below, "is your _brother_?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Yes. And if that girl is exactly suited for the job, then she doesn't need your help."

Minoru tightened his fists. He decided that at least one deity had a very, very cruel sense of humor to assign him with this Itachi. Not that the elf was not thankful for being saved from the vortex... "And if she is not capable of handling your brother?" Minoru asked.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "She'll die," he said casually, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

The blond elf lunged at Itachi. The human ducked his fist. He saw Minoru's kick coming, and move out of the way. Itachi moved his hand just in time to grab a hold of Minoru's wrist (which mysteriously had a knife under the sleeve). The elf managed to twist his arm around the S-rank criminal into a headlock — only to discover that a log was in place of Itachi's head.

Minoru sighed as he let the piece of wood drop away. A dead tie, thus completely pointless. At least for now. 'The humans of this dimension have evolved tremendously. No wonder Sakura had something of an inferiority complex back in Minerva. I am sure that if this fellow recovered to full strength, I would be no match for him...'

"Giving up already?" Itachi said from behind him.

"It is a complete waste of time trying to fight you," Minoru grunted. 'Especially when you have absolutely no inclination to kill me,' he mentally added. He reverted his eyes back to the scene below. 'Damn it, Sakura-san, just kill him. The Sasuke you knew from before is already dead.'

* * *

Sakura screamed as the terrible eyes glared at her. She jumped away with chakra in her legs. The tree next to her had its crusty bark punched off from Sasuke's chakra-infused fist. She had been doing this for the past minute or so.

'That _thing_ is Sasuke?' Sakura thought as she jumped through the trees, each of which was either pummeled or broken by Sasuke. Was this Orchimaru's curse, Sasuke himself, or both that made him this way?

His appearance was revolting. She could barely recognize him anymore. Even Viento in his demon-form looked more beautiful than this. Sasuke's purple aura was that of something less than a human. It was as if — there was no soul in his body anymore.

(( "Even if I let myself be possessed by the devil, the strength I need lies in this path..." ))

Sakura's fists shook. A mixture of anger and grief coursed through her veins. She did not know whether to laugh, cry, or shout at this hideous incarnation of her former teammate. She thought back to all she had learned in the other dimension, all the people and creatures she had met, beat, and even killed. And this _animal_ in front of her...

Sakura stopped running on the branches. This had to end at some point. It was obvious that this creature was trying to kill her, Sasuke or no Sasuke. He was a simple puppet now. A zombie. She planted a foot against a tree trunk, and ran down. Finding solid ground, she readied herself for the oncoming attack.

A familiar sensation dripped into Sakura's body as she looked up into the monster's eyes. Anger? Compassion? Frustration?

The beast fell after her through the branches. Raising his fist, he prepared to crush the pink-haired stranger into the ground.

Sakura's breath stopped. The purple aura from Sasuke clicked something in her memory. The power was like that of the Necromancer's Pomegranate she broke in the Rifts. 'Zombie. That's it.' The kunoichi's hands flicked together in a sequence. 'Please, let this work!'

Air began to spin in between her palms, and petal-like drops of chakra appeared. Her green eyes remained steady and calm as she looked up to the charging monster.

"Wake up, Sasuke," she ordered.

The young lady managed to evade his punch, and aimed her glowing hand at the origin of the curse seal. Her palm slammed on the side of his neck.

Their skin touched. Sakura felt her ki sucked into the curse seal. The force was too strong; she could not pull back, even if she wanted to.

Sasuke screamed as he felt Sakura's hand on his skin. Her touch was pure agony. It burned. She was holy — and he was a being of hell. What was even worse that she did not let go. 'Get away from her! KILL HER!' a voice shouted in him.

But a piece of him ignored the physical pain, and the voices. Sasuke gasped, and fell to the ground on his knees.

"Sasuke!" Sakura caught his collapsing form. He was much heavier than before; he must have gone through a growth spurt. As she knelt to support him, she gave an exclamation of pain. One of his hands had managed to reach up and grab tightly onto her wrist, nearly breaking it. But he eventually loosened his grip, and let himself fall into her warm arms.

Sakura watched in amazement as the wings sunk back into Sasuke. The metamorphosis did not stop there. His hair reverted to its normal black. His skin turned white. It was almost a ghostly white, but more natural than what she saw before. Very little of the curse mark was left on Sasuke's neck: only three pin-sized dots remained.

Sakura took in several breaths. Did she just do that? 'Oh gods. What just happened?'

As the initial amazement faded away, she gently laid Sasuke's body onto the cold, hard ground. "Sasuke?" she murmured.

He appeared to be quietly sleeping.

Sighing in annoyance, Sakura trod over to another area of the forest to fetch her belongings. The girl walked back to Sasuke's peaceful form. She wrapped the warm, green cloak around him. She checked his aura. It was weak, but normal. Not a trace of that purple chakra radiated from him.

Absentmindedly, she touched Sasuke's cheek. To her surprise, his head tilted in response, as if leaning into the warmth of her palm. He looked... peaceful. How bizarre.

A sudden chill of fear rushed through Sakura. She had removed most of Orochimaru's curse, if not all, from Sasuke. It was a rare sort of accomplishment, yes. Was it useful? Definitely. But she could get a lot of unwanted attention if the information got out. Some would want to use her. Some would want her life — Orochimaru would certainly be after her head if he got word of this.

And this patient of hers, lying down helpless at her very feet: he was Uchiha Sasuke, traitor of Konoha. He had abandoned his friends and village, and went to Orochimaru in search of power. Did he really sacrifice his own soul to be with him, on his own free will? He probably did, considering how strong he was only moments ago. He nearly tore her throat apart. If she let him go, who knew what Sasuke would do afterwards?

Sakura then realized something as she observed Sasuke's face. An irregular sound was emitting, on and off, from his mouth. Something was obstructing his air passage.

Sasuke's eyes weakly opened. He felt terrible — but not just because his chakra was depleted.

He couldn't breathe.

The ethereal vision above him blurred. 'Sakura?' Sasuke wondered what he was doing here, how he ended up lying on the ground. Not to mention, his former teammate sitting watch over him. The last thing he remembered seeing was a green-cloaked stranger...

Sakura's eyes looked frightened, but determined. She pulled out a clean kunai.

Sasuke was immobile. He was a traitor. Sakura, as a Konoha ninja, could legitimately kill him. And he could do absolutely nothing to stop her.

Her hand shook as it tightly gripped the kunai over Sasuke's neck. This boy — no, young man — was dangerous. If Sasuke committed murder and other atrocities after this incident, it would be entirely Sakura's fault for saving him.

'My fault...'

The kunai's sharp tip lowered down to the choking boy's neck. Something told her that she was seriously going to regret this later.

Sakura gently pushed the knife's point into his throat.


	48. Workings of the Devil

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

I now have an eternal rival in Naruto fanfiction, named Grummur. Anyway, I got myself into a fix because I read a new fic, and then said off-handedly to the author that it is rival material. Grummur answered with a Gai-approved-flash of the teeth.

Thedarkowns1: You got it. You are very intelligent. You are so smart that people will think you dangerous.

Grummur: A sweat-drop appeared on my forehead (or something akin to that in real life) when I saw your encouraging review. Thanks! I'll do my best in this fic, and you do the same. And you're churning out chapters like a madman... You sure know how to aggravate a fellow writer. Yeah, it's hard to get people to like original characters, but you handle it better than other people. Oh, and don't worry if I don't put up reviews; I hardly ever do unless I come across really, really good writing for compliment's sake. I keep reading. Usually I tend to keep my mouth shut in later chapters, because if the author keeps going, it seems to be a sign that they have enough ideas... If you need ideas, just ask! And I need ideas as well.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 48: Workings of the Devil

* * *

"Keep calm, Sasuke," Sakura said in a firm voice. She knew that he was barely awake, and confused. He might have been a little frightened if he knew he was suffocating. She examined the inside of his mouth, and saw that something was stuck at the back of his throat. Blood, mucus, and who-knows-what was solidifying into a plug in his upper respiratory system — a pseudomembrane.

Sakura could reach in and pull it out, but that was risky and time-consuming if she wanted to do it carefully. And Sasuke was in desperate need of oxygen at the moment.

This was going to be messy, but there was no other way.

Sasuke winced as the kunai penetrated his throat. Sakura's free hand gently pressed him down. The Uchiha was so weak and helpless now; he was not even putting up a struggle against her. 'Sorry if this hurts your ego, Sasuke, but I'm your doctor now.'

Sweat formed on the kunoichi's brow as she saw his blood spurt out. She had to push it in further if she wanted to make a hole to his trachea. Yes, she was piercing his neck with a kunai. But she was trying to save his life, not end it. Hopefully, a half-awake Sasuke would understand enough to keep still.

'Just one centimeter more.'

Sakura lifted up the kunai. Through the wound, a stream of air rushed through Sasuke's windpipe.

Sakura sighed as she saw Sasuke's chest slowly move again. Step one finished.

As Sasuke's lungs exhaled, red bubbles frothed out from the incision sight. Sakura quickly pulled out a hollow stick of bamboo. The medic-nin sterilized it with some medicine, and gently forced it into the hole in Sasuke's throat to give him more leeway to breathe. The tube was normally used with darts as a blowgun — now it was a breathing apparatus.

Sakura examined the back of Sasuke's mouth again. The jelling mass was still there. Her hand reached into his open mouth, and felt the substance with the tip of her finger. The whole procedure was rather gruesome, but she was medical apprentice of Tsunade, and a ninja. Handling disgusting things was her job.

Sasuke watched Sakura from the corner of his eye. The wound in his neck throbbed. Was this really Sakura? Her voice and face looked the same. Yet the cold practicality with which she carried out this operation, especially using a simple kunai and blowgun as her medical tools, intimidated him. How much did she study with Tsunade to know how to do an incision?

Sakura frowned. She was conscious that Sasuke was looking at her, but avoided his eyes. If she was to carry out this operation successfully, she had to see him as a patient. Not a former crush.

What was annoying her, actually, was the nature of the gunk which decided to choke him in the first place. With just the touch of a fingertip, Sakura could tell that the plug was saturated with the vile purple chakra from before. Not all of it had gone out of Sasuke's system, even though his soul was in its rightful body again. 'Sasuke bit his lip when he hesitated to kill me,' Sakura remembered. 'Some of that blood must have mixed with the purple chakra, and when he swallowed... Oh, jeez.'

Removing the stuff was the main problem. She could do another exorcism-jutsu, but there was the slight possibility that the force of the aura would drive the stuff even deeper into his throat. This operation was risky enough, with her making an incision and all. "Damn," she whispered. "I might have to physically pull it out after all."

With the tips of her fingers, she grabbed a hold of the solidifying matter — and carefully pulled it out in one clean movement.

Sasuke's groan of sheer pain was following by severe coughing. The pink-haired medic grimaced as she looked at the blob of mucus in her hand. Her fingertips glowed a rosy hue, and the pseudomembrane shrank within her pinching fingers. The remaining aura hissed out of the bloody mass.

Well, from the sound of hacking, at least Sasuke could receive oxygen normally again.

'Hacking?' Sakura looked back at the patient. 'Oh, shit! The incision!'

The blood around the bamboo stick was starting to glue together. Sakura carefully pulled out the thin tube with one hand. It gave Sasuke another wave of pain as the wound turned fresh once more, but it was only for a moment. The kunoichi's other hand began to press down on the opening.

'Chiyute no Jutsu.'

The walls of flesh sealed up cleanly as Sakura carefully let the cells renew and weave back together. Sakura had her share of blood and healing during her absence from the Shinobi World — there had been plenty of monsters with needles and claws when her party traveled though the Rifts. Usually Potamos cleaned wounds with her water, Minoru checked for poisons, and Sakura closed the gashes with Tsunade's healing technique.

Sasuke was still coughing. Clearly, he could breathe now without a hole in his windpipe. But having that gunk taken out of his throat was one of the most unpleasant things he experienced.

Sakura wiped away the drying blood on his neck. 'I swear, in all my life, that was one of the most nerve-grating things I've ever done,' she thought. Sasuke's coughing became weaker as he spat out the blood, cleaning out his system. Sakura dug in her medical supplies, and took a bottle out. It was an herbal remedy against swelling that Minoru gave her. What was good about it was that it was magic-free, so it could work on any human without chakra repercussions.

A guilty feeling shot through her as she held the bottle of tonic.

'Minoru-san...'

She desperately wanted to cry, but she had a patient to take care of. She was not going to break down, especially in front of the likes of Sasuke. The kunoichi unscrewed the bottle, and poured a small amount in the cap.

Lifting Sasuke's head up with her hand, Sakura edged the shot of medicine to his slightly open mouth. She grimaced, imagining what kind of pain the boy must have gone through the past half-hour. If she remembered correctly from Tsunade's lessons, a pseudomembrane being ripped out felt like having one's tonsils removed without anesthesia. "Drink it, Sasuke," she ordered. "It'll make your throat feel better."

She carefully poured the liquid into the corner of his mouth. Sasuke's jaws shut tight as he tasted it. It was so bitter that his tongue seemed to glue to the mouth's roof. Scrunching his eyes, the teenager swallowed.

The coughing started up again. But it was controllable, and more quiet. After a while, it died down completely.

A few moments passed.

Sakura glanced down. She had not noticed, until now, that one of Sasuke's hands was gripping at the end of her dress. To be quite frank, his head was practically in her lap. Sasuke had managed to curl himself up against her during the entire operation.

Sakura felt a sudden urge to smack him. But what kind of nurse abused her own patients? She was not going to stoop so low, even if he was a traitor. She, unlike Sasuke, had class. Sort of. She pried his fingers off her skirt, and laid his head down on the cold ground.

The girl breathed. She picked up her bag of supplies, and dug out a cardboard lunch-box. She set it down in front of the Uchiha.

Her job was done.

The kunoichi turned around, and began to walk away.

* * *

Minoru had been frozen during the entire procedure — well, the operating procedure, anyway. It had taken all of Itachi's stealth to keep the elf quiet when the transformed Sasuke nearly killed the pink-haired girl. But it had turned out all right. And even now, the two teenagers were unaware of their presence.

Sasuke managed to live. That truth both annoyed and impressed Minoru.

'His essence was somehow protected against the curse,' the blond realized. He had been so sure for months that Sakura's former teammate had his soul devoured. Yet he was alive after her spell. Just barely, but alive. Body and soul.

Minoru felt Itachi's aura behind him. "I have a feeling you have something to do with that boy's strength," the blond elf said coolly. "And I don't mean physical strength, which any idiot can get by training."

"It's complicated." The curt reply by Itachi made Minoru raise an eyebrow.

Itachi blinked, and the Sharingan came back. He had enough chakra again to use his bloodline ability. His red eyes locked onto his brother and the pink-haired girl below.

Sasuke's body was producing little chakra. It was a pure blue again; thank God. Sakura had the same level of aura as well, but it was not flickering like a flame from her body; it was evenly distributed around her form. It was blue. More controlled than Sasuke's, but still blue.

"She's only human?" Itachi commented. He could swear that she was supernatural in more ways than one. She had enough power to lift Orochimaru's curse. He had seen her use pink chakra. Now she looked like a normal medic-nin.

"A human she is," Minoru answered. "However, she has some holy and natural ties. The composition of her aura is developing into that of a mystic." The elf breathed. 'Still, the fact that Sakura could fight the curse without killing Sasuke... Not only is Sakura spiritually strong, but this young man has formidable will. I might have underestimated his true nature.'

Minoru glanced at Itachi standing on a nearby branch. The elf could tell that there was hardly any emotion in this human. This was the perfect assassin.

The blond elf then looked down, and saw that a sheathed katana lay at the foot of a tree. Tennyo.

Minoru frowned. What was Sakura thinking when she put Tennyo down there? Any thief could come and touch it. Then again... Maybe she was hoping something of the sort. Perhaps she wanted to leave the blade in the forest.

If she brought in the katana into her village, questions were bound to come up. Anybody would tried to separate the blade from the scabbard would immediately find that it was impossible. The magical guard was touched by Sakura so often that the weapon knew the owner. The humans of this world, however simple-minded, had experience in some magic. They would probably feel inclined to seal it up will some sort of jutsu and then throw it down a cliff. After all, Sakura had been missing for over a year — she would at least be interrogated about its origins and true nature.

Nobody but Sakura could wield Tennyo, and only a few could carry it.

Carry it.

An idea occurred to Minoru. The elf whispered a few words. A thin tendril crawled out of his wrist.

Itachi watched in slight interest as the vine trailed to the ground slowly. This Minoru was not a ninja, yet he could control magic with words. This slightly ticked off the raven-haired man. The Sharingan could only instantly memorize spells that were based on traditional In, after all. Itachi would not be able to copy any of this blond's magic techniques because they were entirely dependent on speech.

Minoru forced every piece of his will to control the vine in the right direction. From what he knew of Sakura, she learned swordsmanship only when she fell into his dimension. Tennyo was the girl's personal sword. Her emotional tie to it was too great; he had to keep it safe for her.

Angel Salvia had informed Minoru on the finer details of the katana. Although nobody but Sakura could wield Tennyo, the weapon could be carried and kept safe by someone else, a sword-keeper. The trick was to touch the scabbard, and identify himself by his aura. If the weapon recognized him as a protector of Sakura, then Tennyo could be carried.

The vine inched near the sheathed weapon. Beads of sweat trailed down Minoru's face. This was a test of his connection with Sakura. If Tennyo did not accept the touch of Minoru's vines, it would mean that the pink-haired girl no longer trusted him.

Minoru was the only eligible person to do it. If he failed, the sword was good as doomed. And Sakura would be crushed.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke blinked. Sakura was walking away.

"Wait." Sasuke's voice was rather whispery, but at least he could talk.

Sakura stopped in her tracks. She turned her head around. "You can speak, Sasuke?" Minoru's tonic was more effective than Sakura first thought. Now if only she could find plants in this dimension to emulate the recipe...

The Uchiha subconsciously noticed that Sakura dropped the childhood suffix out of his name. Okay, he could handle that. After all, they were both grown-ups, and enemies. Well, perhaps they weren't enemies for the moment. But he was an outright traitor, and she had her Konoha hitai-ate tied around her forehead.

The moon was too bright this evening. Too many of Sakura's features were readable to the boy, even without his Sharingan. He noticed how long and free-looking her hair had grown, and the natural redness of her lips. If she just pulled out that hair-tie...

"Hello, are you listening?" Sakura asked irritably, interrupting Sasuke's daze. "I was asking whether you could speak."

Sasuke looked down, not answering.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm leaving you that lunch, Sasuke. Eat it if you want your strength back. Konoha ninja, even ANBU, could catch you if you don't go now."

Sasuke's head shot up. She was... letting him go?

"Of course, if you're so paranoid to not eat it, that's your problem," Sakura continued with a hand on her hip. She turned her body around. "I don't have anything to instantly boost your chakra level like Hyourougan, but eating some food will slowly help you recover." She kept her inner comments inside, asking herself why she would be so stupid as to give him a soldier pill, even if she did have one. He'd probably knock her out, just like last time.

"What happened to your dress?"

Sasuke froze; the words had flown out of his mouth without second thought. How dare he ask such a question, especially when the cloth was shredded near her upper chest area. If she had escaped rape, she'd probably break down crying. Damn. Not only would Sasuke have to comfort her, he would also have to kill whoever tried it. Damn him for asking.

Sakura cocked an eyebrow, and looked down. There were the same three rips around her lower neck. Blackened blood was sprayed over the red fabric, a result of the attack and the operation afterward. Well, she certainly needed a new outfit. But there was something else that bothered her. It was Sasuke's cluelessness.

"You don't remember anything?" Sakura asked. She walked over, and put two fingers on the Uchiha's forehead. She felt for any sign of a high temperature. It appeared as though Sasuke did not recall anything when he was transformed. He probably did not even know what she did to Orochimaru's curse.

Sasuke stiffened at the abrupt contact. Sakura was touching his forehead. Some part of him was angry. She still showed concern for him, after all this time. He did not need her. He did not need anybody. Okay, so she saved him from choking; that much he remembered. But he did not deserve any more petting, and it made him weak.

"Answer my question." Sasuke seethed. "The dress."

Something in the pink-haired girl turned defensive. "An animal attacked me," she answered curtly. It was sort of true. He would probably freak out if Sakura told him that he was completely possessed by the curse at one period in time. 'And if he didn't grow upset, he would deny that it ever happened,' thought Sakura. 'Men usually do that in front of women.'

As a farewell gesture, Sakura brutally yanked the green cloak off his form. "On second thought, I'll take this back. You don't seem to need it."

The move was rather cruel. But Sakura had just remembered that Minoru had bought this green cloak for her in Minerva. She had worn it through the Rifts. It was one of the few things she had remaining of the elf, and she were damned if she gave it to the likes of Sasuke.

Sasuke sat on the cold ground, watching as Sakura's form walked off, the cloak draping around her body. He could tell her chakra was weak. She was going like that, unprotected.

The question he really wanted to ask finally came up. "Why didn't you kill me?"

The young lady stopped. The tone of Sasuke's voice was not demanding anymore. Perhaps there was a touch of disappointment in it, but Sakura missed it completely. When she thought about it — she asked herself the same question. Why hadn't she kill him? He broke her heart. He turned on Konoha. He gave himself to the curse.

The kunoichi thought a while. And then she resolved herself to an answer. An answer that the Sasuke she knew would accept.

"To make things even," she said in a monotone. "You saved my life while we were on the same genin team. I just save yours. Now we don't owe each other anything."

Something in Sasuke jolted within him. Was that how she saw it? A mutual trade-off?

"And you're a friend."

The young man looked up. Something of hope threatened to touch his heart.

But the next gesture he could not have foreseen. The pink-haired girl gave him the coldest glare she could muster. Her green eyes were hard, like the most ancient and valuable of jade. "Run now, before Konoha ninja capture you. Get up and _run_."

A flash of red passed Sasuke's mind. She expected him to bolt. And she was not stopping him.

(( "Foolish little brother... If you want to kill me, then hate me! Despise me! And then live in an unsightly way..." ))

He did not move from the spot. "What are you doing, Sasuke? Run!" Sakura said.

"You've been missing for the past year or so," Sasuke said, clumsily getting up on his feet. He had to keep his cool, especially when her words brought back a touchy issue. "Where have you been?"

Sakura sighed. "Away," she said. How could she explain that she went to an entirely different world? Demons and angels and trolls, oh my. He would not believe her. "I've been away."

Sasuke began to grow impatient. She was giving too many simplistic answers to his questions. He wanted to know some more details, but she evaded every question thrown at her. That was his method of communication, not hers.

The kunoichi pulled her cloak tighter to her lithe body. "Now go before you get caught. And the next time I see you, it might be on a battlefield. I'll only have one option then."

Sasuke frowned. Did Sakura just imply a threat in that statement?

In any case, it was clear that Sakura planned to go home by herself. She was willing to face the interrogation of Konoha, of why she had been missing all this time. The girl knew that they could break her. Their genin team only had a taste of what Morino Ibiki was capable of during the first part of the Chuunin exams. Tsunade would eventually find out that she saved a traitor's life and let him off the hook. She was going to face it, while Sasuke would...

(( "Run... run... And pathetically cling onto life..." ))

Sasuke's hands tightened.

The kunoichi was growing impatient. She stomped her foot.

"You're alive _now_, aren't you?" the girl demanded. "This is for your own good! RUN!"

* * *

Notes:

Pseudomembrane — these usually show up in bacterial infections like Diphtheria. The bacteria in the throat make a toxin, and then the toxin can harden with dead human cells at the back of the throat. This can lead to sudden death by suffocation. I twisted the same thing into this story to work with Orochimaru's chakra, since Kishimoto seems to really go into the stuff. Warning: I am not a specialist in medicine. The farthest I went in biology was Microbes and Human Health; that's how I learned about this stuff. So if you're in medicine, and see anything horribly wrong in Sakura's actions, tell me via review.

_Never_ attempt to cut into the trachea, except in very rare circumstances. Sakura could do it because she had the medical experience. If you have anything less, do not try it.

So, faithful readers. What should Sasuke do?


	49. Forgiveness

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

Thedarkowns1: If you're wondering about that note in the last chapter, I was simply congratulating you for actually figuring out that Sakura wasn't going to kill Sasuke. Everybody else who reviewed that chapter was panicking.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 49: Forgiveness

* * *

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke was not moving. He seemed frozen to the spot.

Sakura walked up to the raven-haired boy. He was almost a head taller than her now. But his posture told her that the usual confidence he once held was now gone. This both surprised and confused her. Sasuke's dark bangs covered his eyes; he turned away when she tried to look closer at him.

As Sakura calculated it further, why else was he wandering the forest near Konoha? To attack it? Hardly not. There would be more Oto-nin around if Orochimaru planned something like that. Sasuke would have some backup if he were a real enemy. Sakura practically removed his curse, and nobody interrupted her when she performed that quick operation on his neck. Sasuke was completely alone.

Sakura finally caught a glimpse of his dark eyes. What she saw startled her: they were tired, defeated. He did not want to run away. He probably did not even want to live. Sasuke had wanted to follow her to Konoha from the start. But when the kunoichi displayed a rock-hard exterior, cruelly ordering him to "run" — whatever hope he had of starting over was crushed, like a newly hatched caterpillar picked up by an unforgiving sparrow.

Was Sakura happy now? The high-and-mighty princess of books and kendō did not _need_ the heir of a practically dead clan, not even as a friend! Sakura had traveled across space-time, trained with celestials, came back and freed Sasuke from the curse — and then tastefully finished it off with a cold glare to the broken teenager.

In the end, she really was no better than what Sasuke had been two years ago.

Sasuke felt a warm body crush against him. His heart seemed to stop. His black eyes trailed down to a form that was lightly embracing him.

"I'm sorry," Sakura whispered.

Sasuke was confused. _She_ was apologizing to _him_, when he committed all those horrible things against her and the village? If anything, he was lucky that she did not execute the scum that he was.

"Do you want to go home together?" Sakura offered. Her voice was hesitant. But the tone was also coaxing and gentle, like that of a mother.

She was giving him a free choice now. Sakura was offering her friendship. She was forgiving him.

Sasuke had no idea what to say or do. The 'duty' part of him had clear enough answers. Sasuke would be in big trouble if he went back to Konoha. He could live and train alone if he had to. Sakura was only a distraction.

But another voice inside him said, 'This is your LAST chance.'

Last chance for what? Sasuke was not exactly sure.

"They'll probably interrogate you, and put you under surveillance," Sakura continued. "But I've been missing as well. I'll be going through the exact same process."

A chill went down his spine. He wanted to tell her that it was not as simple as that. There were no ninja reports on her movements, but Sasuke had obviously served Orochimaru. Sakura had probably been doing something peaceful, like traveling the countryside and healing people. Sasuke had already killed a few rogue ninja. Still...

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but his throat burned. He had to make more effort to speak.

The silence passed by.

The pink-haired girl felt a lump form in her throat. Sasuke was not responding. "If you don't want to go, I understand," she said. Her arms loosened from him.

* * *

Itachi rubbed his bandaged shoulder. The wound was sealing up fast with the ointments underneath. The blonde's remedies were quite good. "You have your instructions. I have to trail and shut up my partner now."

"Oh, I'm sorry to have injured him with that arrow, but I had to in order to keep things clean." Minoru flashed a smile. "Send my apologies to your lover." The elf ducked the incoming shuriken, which prickled into the tree trunk behind him. 'They're small, but sharp,' Minoru noted with amusement. 'He's not bad in aim.'

"I'll tell my partner in work," Itachi paused here, and continued, "that I made quick work of you." 'That is, after I get the tengu to do a forbidden jutsu on Kisame to erase his memory about my brother...'

The Uchiha glanced sideways. Something was moving towards them. It seemed like more work had to be done.

Minoru sensed the movement as well. "Animals," Minoru identified. "Two... no, three. I can tell that they're not aiming to kill. Maybe... to capture something."

Itachi closed his eyes, and listened. There were exactly four snakes on the ground, not the three Minoru estimated. From what Itachi knew of Orochimaru, the sage must have sent trailing snakes as a last-ditch attempt to retrieve Sasuke. Both Sasuke and Sakura were in poor condition for fighting anything.

The Uchiha kicked off the branches, readying his shuriken. Minoru followed. The snakes had to be stopped before they reached Sasuke.

Minoru's blue eyes caught three snakes on the ground. They looked normal — except for their size. The elf had never seen natural anacondas as large as these before. Who needed monsters, when these kinds of animals were in the forests? In slight shock, Minoru's boot scraped off one of the branches in an irregular manner. He slipped and began to fall.

Itachi frowned. Minoru did not even know how to put chakra in his feet to stick to surfaces. The last thing the Uchiha needed was the duty to take care of some weirdo from another reality.

Minoru shot a vine tendril out from his wrist. It attached to another tree, saving him from a drop of death.

This was normal practice for him. Minoru swung, and let go of the newly-made vine. After a flip in the air, he landed quietly on the ground.

The elf looked up to meet the disgusted look of Itachi. "What?" Minoru asked casually. "I can take care of myself."

That was not the point, in Itachi's opinion. He used one word to describe the real situation: "Incoming." Minoru was on the ground, directly in the way of the snakes.

'At least he makes a good decoy,' Itachi thought. He expected Minoru to be devoured any split-second now.

The elf quickly pulled an arrow across his shaft, and let it loose in the direction of the snakes. It streaked through the air, and stabbed into the forehead of the first anaconda. It fell to the ground dead, and another slithered over its carcass. Its wide-open mouth aimed at Minoru, with tongue, fangs, and larynx nicely visible for him to see.

Two shuriken penetrated its eyes, thrown by Itachi from above. It let off a reptilian scream. Minoru's hard boot connected with the anaconda's chin in a high kick. The elf frowned as it continued to hiss in pain — 'It's still conscious!' — and let his leg fall back down in an axe-kick. His heel crushed the animal's head into the ground.

Itachi's hands let fly three shuriken. The assassin then flicked his hands together into some hand-seals. 'Kage-Shuriken no Jutsu.' The three flying weapons multiplied into nine.

The snake stealthily dodged all of the shuriken: the animal was more trained and intelligent than Itachi first thought. No problem. The prodigy's hands, still hidden within the folds of his Akatsuki cloak, formed another sequence.

Something sprouted out of the ground in front of the snakes. It was a narrow little stick, but shot up unnaturally fast. It revealed itself as a sprout, which turned into a tree. The roots began to crawl and entrap the snakes.

Minoru's brow furrowed. He realized that Itachi was using an illusion. That tree was only an image. But what was strange was that the animals seemed to believe it was real. They squirmed around to free themselves, from an object that was nothing more than a mirage.

Using this chance, the elf walked up to the struggling reptiles, and shot an arrow in each of their heads. The blood spurted out onto his boots. The tree disappeared, and the snakes lay dead at his feet.

Minoru looked up at Itachi. "Three down."

Itachi frowned. "There were four. Didn't you kill the last one?"

"I said that three were coming. You saw a fourth?" The corner of Minoru's eye twitched. "Oh, damnation," he whispered in a hoarse manner.

The fourth snake was probably far off. There was no way that the two of them could catch up and defeat the animal without revealing themselves.

"Amateur," Itachi snapped under his breath.

"It would be advantageous if you _spoke_ more often," Minoru said through gritted teeth. He glanced at the sheathed kanata on his back. 'He and I cannot catch up with the last snake without showing ourselves to Sakura and Sasuke. But at least my abilities are developed enough to work with items like these.'

* * *

"No. I'm coming."

Sakura froze. She looked up, surprise lighting her emerald eyes. "What?"

Sasuke turned his head slightly. His inner self snarled: from how his face felt, his cheeks must have been turning red. It was a damn good thing that it was the moon, and not the sun, illuminating the two of them. "You're not facing that insane Morino Ibiki alone," Sasuke said.

He gave a huff. He was uncomfortable with the look of utter shock on Sakura's face. The young Uchiha desperately wanted to bang his head against something dense and hard, realizing how dangerously sentimental his answer was. It sounded like he had feelings, of all things.

'Well, you actually do,' some random voice in his head trailed off. Sasuke wondered where that came from.

Sakura looked down. She refrained from smiling; Sasuke would probably grow upset if she displayed her happiness of winning him back to Konoha. She picked up the now-cold lunchbox from the ground, and held it out to Sasuke. "You still want to eat?"

He shook his head in response. Sasuke had no appetite. His body felt strange, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He was sure that if he ate anything at the moment, he would throw it up in sickness, which would be poor thanks indeed.

Sakura slipped the lunchbox back into her bag. She then began to walk, allowing the young man to trail her without any touching. One hug was a huge step for Sasuke, even if it was between friends. "This way. It's going to be at least one hour to the gates..."

The pink-haired girl gave a sudden gasp. She clutched her chest, the green cloak bunching in with the shredded red fabric. Another aura was calling at her soul. Somebody was touching Tennyo.

Sakura glanced in the direction where she had laid the katana, underneath shrubs and fine moss. A deity or spirit, working in favor of her, now possessed Tennyo. But what disturbed Sakura were the vines, which had suddenly grown over the spot where she had placed the weapon.

A foreign voice burst into her mind. 'Sakura-san! Something is coming at you!' The kunoichi froze at its sound. Time seemed to stop for her as she heard the warning signal. 'Keep on your guard AT ALL TIMES!'

"Sakura!" Sasuke's harsh voice suddenly entered her sphere of listening.

Sakura came out of her trance. She straightened her posture, and shook herself off. "Sorry, Sasuke. I was just a little distracted." The pink-haired girl glanced around. Wonder and confusion churned in her mind. 'Why was that voice so similar too...'

Sasuke tensed. Through the surrounding area, a familiar sound rustled: scales of keratin over bark and wet leaves.

An anaconda shot out from one of the bushes.

Immediately going with her survival instincts, Sakura threw a fist at the animal. "HAH!"

The animal went off flying, and skidded back one hundred meters.

Sakura blinked — that hit was too strong for her level. She glanced to her side, and saw Sasuke's arm in a similar position. The face he made at her was one of total disbelief. How in the world did the two of them simultaneously land a hit on an anaconda?

"Hey, we made a double-punch," Sakura said with a grin. She glanced back to the slithering heap.

The animal was still moving strong. It untangled itself, and made another go for them.

Sasuke put his hands together in a hand-seal. He growled as the anaconda rushed towards them. There was not enough chakra molding in his body. At this rate, Sasuke would never be able to make a proper jutsu. 'Damn! Not at a time like this!'

Sasuke pulled out several shuriken, and threw them at the snake. Only a couple hit; a moving target was harder to hit than a still object. The few that did manage to hit the snake were flicked off. The Uchiha kicked off the ground with chakra in his legs.

Sakura jumped away. "Sasuke!" she yelled. "The best way to hurt things like that is —"

The kunoichi felt a jolt through her aura system. Sakura felt her knees hit the ground. 'What?' She tried to get up, but little ki went through her leg muscles.

Sasuke was in the air. He then noticed the trembling form of Sakura on the ground. She wasn't moving out of the snake's way. What was she doing?

He then remembered: she used the Chiyute no Jutsu on him. She had spent too much of her aura while trying to save him, and now she was in danger. Her ki was flickering like the flame of a candle — it took her effort to even stand.

Even after she redeemed his life, Sasuke was still weak. He could not protect her.

"DAMN IT!" Sasuke roared. He vented all his anger and frustration into his system. His black eyes reverted into blood-red Sharingan.

Sasuke's thumb found the tooth of a shuriken, and pressed down. The blood seeped out. He performed the hand-seals, and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" he shouted.

A loud explosion sounded out. Out of the smoke, a second anaconda burst forth. It was nearly identical in size and strength to the first one.

Sakura gave a wry smile as she witnessed the scene. So Sasuke learned from Orochimaru how to call anacondas. Ironic, how a snake was now saving her instead of attacking her.

The two reptiles whirled and twisted around each other's forms. Sasuke got ready his shuriken. After skillfully clicking them around his hands, he let them fly around the fighting anacondas.

The shuriken thudded into nearby tree trunks, missing the snakes by a long shot. Sakura bit her lip.

'Now.' Sasuke's left arm snapped upward. The nearly-invisible strings connecting the shuriken closed in around the snakes, and trapped them to a tree. From what Sasuke could tell, the combat between the animals was even, and they were nearly finished. But he could not risk the fighting animals to get close to the pink-haired girl.

Tied up in strings and mutual defeat, both snakes disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Something akin to fear crept into Sakura. She gulped. Sasuke was fast. The kunoichi also had to wonder how he got all that chakra in his weakened state, to summon such a large animal.

Sasuke turned his head towards Sakura. He saw her give a brief shudder as their eyes made contact.

He then realized: his eyes were as yet in the Sharingan. They sometimes turned on automatically when he felt anger. And masters of the bloodline trait could keep it on for extended periods of time. He willed the eyes back to normal before anymore chakra in him was wasted.

Sasuke walked toward Sakura, and lowered his hand to her kneeling form. She stared at it, confused at what he was doing.

"Aren't you coming?" Sasuke demanded.

Sakura gave a weak smile. "Oh. Yeah."

As Sasuke helped her up, he noticed the callous marks on Sakura's hands. They formed an odd shape within her palm. He decided to keep that feeling tucked in his memory for later reference.

Sakura brushed the dead leaves off her cloak with both hands. "Did the two anacondas kill each other?" she asked in concern. "It's not often that summoning animals fight against their own species."

"No. They were just tired," Sasuke said dryly. "It was a tie, and both gave up and ran away from each other."

* * *

"HOKAGE-SAMA!"

Tsunade snorted out of her sleep. Somebody was banging on the door of her house, each sound battering her ears. She picked up a nearby clock, cursed under her breath, and pulled a blanket tighter to her voluptuous frame.

"Hokage-sama, this is important," one chuunin's voice drawled. "Don't deny that you're awake! You're a light sleeper, even _after_ you drink."

A nerve popped out of her forehead. Whoever said that had some guts. The banging continued.

A circuit in Tsunade's patience exploded. "It's friggin' three o'clock in the morning!" She angrily pulled off the covers, and stomped to the door. Three chuunin and one jounin were at her door. "This had better be good."

She then noticed the five or so jounin behind them, and a few ANBU. It was the nightly patrol group of this week. A pink mop of hair appeared amidst the collection of face-masks.

"Do you have to hold me so tightly?" a feminine voice snapped. "It's not like I can DO anything against you, you know."

Tsunade's hazel eyes widened.

Haruno Sakura slapped away a hand of one of the ANBU. The girl looked up, and then saw the dazed look of the Fifth Hokage. Sakura immediately let her hands drop to her side. Not only that, she dropped to her knees and bowed, her nose nearly touching the cold stone of the street. "Godaime-sama," she said respectfully.

Before Sakura left, she usually called the blond lady as 'Tsunade-sama', which was a little more personal than 'Godaime-sama'. But these were special circumstances. The pink-haired girl was nervous: knowing Tsunade, she would at least get a scolding or two for going missing. Sakura also wanted to get on the woman's good side as soon as possible, for the sake of a traitor who was not far behind.

Sasuke stumbled on the ground, right next to Sakura. He glared at the ANBU member who pushed him in front of the Hokage. This ceremony was such a joke in his opinion. Then again, he did not have much choice in the matter. He was already here, chakra depleted and all.

The Fifth Hokage crossed her arms. "Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke let off a disrespectful growl. A second afterwards, he felt a tremendous shove on top of his head.

The Uchiha weakly turned his face, finding that it was Sakura who had forced his head down in the traditional position of humility. 'How dare she!' Her new-found energy had nearly broken his spine in that maneuver. Then again, it was kind of nice being touched by her once more, although he would have preferred some places other than his scalp…

The nearby ANBU were quietly laughing as Sakura nearly plowed Sasuke's face into the street. The jounin kept straight faces, as they did not have the luxury of a face-mask.

Tsunade groaned as she massaged her temples. "I think we have a long night ahead of us."


	50. Starting Over

"Dimensional Exchanges"

by XyoushaX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach. I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's why I'm poor, okay?

(Notes to an OPTIONAL SEQUEL are in the ending credits.)

Sigh. "Dimensional Exchanges" is finally coming to an end. Wow.

I wrote "Dimensional Exchanges" to be a coming-of-age story of Sakura, and to be a full story in itself. That's why it ends on the place where Sakura resolves her friendship to Sasuke, and returns home. Yes, it was rather unrealistic that Sasuke actually decided to go home, but he was kind of desperate at the moment. And it won't make the sequel as interesting.

All in all, fifty chapters was exhausting, fun, and an educational experience. The story got in over 250 reviews on chapter 48. To all those who had no time or the effort to drop a review, but read to the end anyway: it has been cool. Thank you. Peace.

"Quotations"

'Inner Thoughts'

(( Flashback ))

-Writing-

Chapter 50: Starting Over

* * *

The morning sun broke through the windows of the Hokage's office. The sound that came out — not many people expected, especially so early in the morning.

"You want me to do WHAT?" Tsunade exclaimed. She was not sure if she heard it correctly from Sakura.

"Yes. I want Uchiha Sasuke to take my place in the next Chuunin exams." Sakura combed her fingers through her hair. "And for the last time: I am in my right mind now, thank you very much."

"Yes, I know that perfectly well but... Sasuke, of all people?" Tsunade was baffled.

When Sakura had come back, Tsunade had planned to put her with Naruto and Hinata on the same three-man cell for the upcoming Chuunin exam. Sure, Hinata was the only one of the four who did not work with the others. But Hinata deserved the chance, and Sakura and Naruto were trustworthy.

Sasuke was the deviant. It was politically incorrect to let the likes of the Uchiha to represent Konoha. Some sort of punishment on the boy would be presumable. It was illogical for him to take the exams. So why was Sakura even bringing up the issue?

"I haven't trained as a ninja for over a year now, Tsunade-sama," Sakura stated. The young lady's face was serious — much too serious for the Hokage's tastes. "Sasuke has devoted his heart and soul to the Shinobi Arts. The best way to keep him _calm_ in Konoha, would be to challenge him. Putting him in the exams is an opportunity, both for the state of the village and for him. Naruto can control Sasuke, especially when Sasuke is rather weak." She swallowed. "And... Hinata deserves to take the exams with Naruto." Saying that resurfaced past disappointments. But it was the truth. "She is more capable than I am for the position."

Tsunade wanted to rip her hair out. "This is outrageous! Do you expect me to comply with that? Honestly, your devotion to this traitor—"

"I don't expect you to comply with anything I say, Tsunade-sama. I am merely requesting this for myself."

Tsunade understood now. 'She's afraid,' she realized. 'Sakura is afraid of Sasuke. Although, I think it has more to do with their friendship rather than their difference in strength...'

Sakura breathed. She knew perfectly well how ludicrous this sounded. But her argument had its merits, and she wanted to show it. "Should Sasuke... snap, and attack Naruto, at least it would be a member of the Hyuuga clan backing him up instead of me," Sakura said. "From what you told me of Hinata, she has medical expertise. Plus, she has the Byakugan, something that the Sharingan cannot catch. I am not qualified to take the Chuunin exams at present. This is not self-sacrifice on my part. It is self-interest."

Tsunade's tight fist loosened on the desk. "You are certainly wise to tell me this without Sasuke in your presence. He would not be impressed at all."

"Few things impress him." Sakura bowed. "Thank you for your time, Tsunade-sama." With that, she walked out of the room.

* * *

The morning birds chirped, their sounds dancing into the building. A silver-haired jounin stood in front of a dark-haired boy, who was now sitting in a chair.

"So you escaped Orochimaru," Kakashi mused.

Sasuke made a brief "hmpf" before going back into his usual silence.

"And you ran into Itachi."

Another "hmpf."

Kakashi twitched. Sasuke had not changed one bit.

The older man sighed. This was going to be hard to explain — it was a good thing Naruto was not here yet. Sasuke needed time to get used to Konoha again. And considering what Tsunade had planned...

"The Hokage gives you an assignment, Sasuke. Do the recovery program Tsunade recommends — and take the next Chuunin exams with Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata."

Sasuke's head shot up. He wondered whether he had heard that correctly. Why did the Hokage want him to take the exams? And why Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto, of all people?

Kakashi read the expression on Sasuke's face. "Sakura, right? Well... After what you did, we can't possibly put back everything the way it was before." Kakashi refrained from telling Sasuke that it was Sakura herself who asked the Hokage to do this.

The jounin's tone slipped into that of a lecturing father. "The Haruno household only recently got their daughter back after a year of her abduction. They would not want her to take the Chuunin exams in such a short period of time — especially alongside a boy who abandoned Konoha, mastered the Sharingan, and associated himself with Orochimaru."

Sasuke looked down. Of course he was not allowed to be with Sakura. Sasuke was too strong; he was a monster in people's eyes. Even now, conversing with Kakashi, there were at least two jounin in the hallway, monitoring everything Sasuke did.

Kakashi shook his head. His returned pupil was visibly upset about the ordeal. "With Orochimaru training you, your skills are at least Chuunin level. The Hokage judged that the best way for you to adjust would be to represent Konoha in the next exams, along with Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata."

Personally, Kakashi did not approve of the team combination. It was unbalanced to a high degree. Two out of the three kids had doujutsu in their eyes. The one who didn't have a doujutsu had instead a nine-tailed fox-demon sealed in his belly button. An over-powered team, if there ever was one. But Kakashi had no say in this case; it was the Hokage's orders.

Sasuke frowned at his now-official mentor. "Aren't you afraid like the others that I'm a double-agent for Orochimaru? Or that I might attack Naruto?"

"I can tell that you're rivals," Kakashi said. He turned to Sasuke. "But I know something. You had the perfect chance to get the Mangekyou Sharingan when you faced off against Naruto. It's what you needed to tie with Itachi. And yet..."

Sasuke turned away. Now he understood.

The hyperactive blond ninja was the only genin who knew Sasuke enough to be civil with him — and yet beat him to a pulp if he made the wrong move. After all, Sasuke was powered up with the curse the last time they met, and he did not have that brute strength anymore. Naruto was being tutored by Jiraiya, a rival of Orchimaru. The blond shinobi also had Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, to back him up. The plan had the guise of rehabilitation, but there was also cruel enforcement in every detail.

Kakashi's one visible eye trailed on the side of Sasuke's neck. The black marks were faint, almost nonexistent. "Tsunade and her medical specialists confirmed that your curse is gone. And there are no records of you killing Konoha ninja or innocent civilians. Those are the two primary reasons why you are eligible. But still, you should be grateful for the Hokage's generosity: she's giving you a chance."

"Sakura gave me a chance, not the Hokage," Sasuke said.

"If Sakura gave you that, then don't waste it," Kakashi gravely retorted. There was a stern pause. His tone smoothed out. "I'll help you start retraining. Your body suffered exhaustion when you escaped Orochimaru. And although you've mastered the Sharingan, that alone is not enough for your full potential." Kakashi turned around to leave. "For our first session, meet me on the bridge at ten, tomorrow morning."

Sasuke stared. A hint of an old smirk traced his lips. "I'll kill you if you're late."

"Be careful when you say that, Sasuke," Kakashi said in light humor. "There'll be people watching." Something of a smile crinkled through his mask. 'Damn, it will take a hell of a time to make him loosen up a bit. Maybe puberty will help.'

* * *

Sakura was a little annoyed with the prevailing theory of her disappearance. The investigators concluded that she, Haruno Sakura, had received a powerful genjutsu or lost her memory when she was abducted. Once she came to her senses, she managed to come back to Konoha on her own.

It was the only valid theory the interrogators could come up with. When Sakura calmly told them that she had been taken to another world, that marked the end of the interview. Her answers were sincere; that much they knew — but the jounin could not accept them. The citizens of Konoha were extremely sensitive when it came to theories of monsters or demons. They would laugh the truth off, at the very least. It was safest for the official report to say that she had been under an illusion.

Sakura was only a genin, after all. She had no proof that she went to an entirely different reality. Her wind-jutsu did not work well without a katana, and the angelic exorcism was useless because it only affected zombie-like curses or creatures. Not that she wished to give any proof.

'Oh well, I might as well look at the bright side of it,' Sakura thought with amusement. 'I'll have more privacy than in some other places.' She remembered the attention she got in Ramah Village after she stopped that elfin arrow. Although flattering to a certain degree, the pink-haired girl was not so stupid as to willingly put up with that again.

Tsunade and her team checked that she was physically and mentally Haruno Sakura. But nobody could guess where she had been. Not even the hunter-nin had spotted her. 'That's because I _wasn't here_, you idiots!' Sakura desperately wanted to scream.

It was unwise to tell Tsunade that it was her who removed Sasuke's curse. Nobody needed to know about that. If one person got wind of this, and the secret managed to spread across the networks of shinobi, Orochimaru would have one more reason to annihilate Konoha.

Although somewhat improved, Sakura's ninja skills were still mediocre. She had to train more. It would be best if she laid low for now — all the more reason to decline taking the upcoming Chuunin exams.

Sakura curled up within her bed sheets. Mrs. Haruno sat next to her, lovingly brushing away some strands of pink hair.

"I'm so happy that you're alive," Sakura's mother whispered.

"I'm happy that you and Dad are still alive." Sakura crawled over, and squeezed her arms around her mother's torso. She had been secretly afraid that one, or both, of her parents had been killed while she was gone in the other dimension. They usually performed C-rank missions, B-ranked in times of need. There was always a risk involved with being a ninja. There was always a risk in living, period.

Mrs. Haruno sighed. She had never felt so relieved and overjoyed when the Hokage's office sent the message of her daughter's return. The muscles in Sakura's arms were firmly built, and new confidence seemed to radiate from the girl's aura. Not only did she safely return — she came home a little more mature than before. Her green eyes showed a new sadness, but also the hint of wisdom.

"Sakura, you really did go to another world, didn't you?" Mrs. Haruno said.

Sakura looked up. "You heard the interview?" The girl bit her lip, observing her mother. 'And she BELIEVED me?'

Mrs. Haruno giggled. "Of course. I was right behind the two-way mirror when they were talking to you. Just because the interrogators were skeptical doesn't mean that you were lying."

"A year-long genjutsu on me," Sakura grumbled. "Nice idea they came up with."

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're back."

The pink-haired girl heaved a sigh as she cuddled in her mother's arms. This was her mother. She only needed one.

Mrs. Haruno picked up what looked like a pile of trash. Her daughter's red dress with the white Haruno symbol was totally ruined. Flecks of dirt and blood blotched it, like paint on a canvas. 'Terrible,' she thought. Little did she know that some of the hardened blood came from a certain Uchiha boy. "Sakura, you're going to need some new ninja clothes," she said. "I think we'll need to throw this away. And you can't walk in the streets in your pajamas."

Sakura groaned. Her hand traced the soft pajamas hugging her. "I like walking around the house in nothing but a T-shirt and boxers." She snuggled into the pillow. "Maybe I can wear it outside the house as well..."

Mrs. Haruno laughed. "That is sure to attract unwanted attention. Especially when your hair has grown so long and..." She declined to say the word 'beautiful'. The older woman sat up from Sakura's bed, and walked out of the room. "I'll go and make dinner while you rest, okay? Dad will come back from work soon."

"Mm'kay," Sakura chimed.

Mrs. Haruno shut the door with a gentle click.

The sky was a refreshing blue. Sakura got up, and opened the window partially to clean out the stuffy air. A gentle, flowery breeze followed. Sakura stretched her body over the bed, living the moment to wonder about things.

She planned to visit Sasuke the next day to check up on him. She was now his only friend in the village. Kakashi was working as Sasuke's mentor again, but it was obvious that he was cautious around the boy. Naruto was currently away with Jiraiya.

The pink-haired girl looked out the window. She breathed in the scent: this was her real world.

'I'm home. I'm finally home.'

A pink flower petal danced through the wind outside. It brushed past the windowsill.

But Sakura never saw it: she had already fallen asleep.

* * *

END OF DIMENSIONAL EXCHANGES

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Ending Credits

Many special thanks to the faithful readers and reviewers! I actually thought for a while that I did not have many readers, considering that the review rate of this story had a much lower average than, oh, say, yaoi fics. But now that I look at this long list of reviewers — it was a success. Some people really enjoyed the story, and I'm glad.

Here are my plans for the upcoming story, which is an optional continuation — i.e., if you don't like the sequel's features, you can just read "Dimensional Exchanges" by itself, and just believe that the sequel doesn't happen (or exist, for the matter).

Plans:

a) The title of the sequel is "Beyond Hearts and Minds". IT IS UP.

b) Main pairings: naruhina definitely. Sasusaku maybe. I consider writing a good sasusaku fic a hard challenge. For those of you who wanted minosaku, I'll put in a few scenes to appease your tastes.

c) Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy, like before. There will be some romance (see above), drama, and lots of action. I'm an action girl.

d) Mood: Funny to weird to dark. You have been warned.

e) Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, and sexual innuendo.

f) If anybody wants to suggest anything for the sequel, put it in a review.

Thanks to individual reviewers:

Jade Eyes: If you still want to do that one-shot, you can do it now...

Nocterayne: Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews. Some of the stories you told me made my day, especially the one about the Masochism Tango! I know you're probably disappointed about the pairings, especially when they're 'traditional'. But it will be harder for Sasuke than you could ever imagine. And I'll put in the Japanese mythology as promised. I'm looking up to Serpentine Rose as a model.

Lady Light: Rejoice, sasusaku fan! I always loved to see your beautiful messages of delight and encouragement. You also saved me at one point, where something wasn't too clear... That helped this fic a lot.

Fwoggie: I loved your reviews! Sorry that it's not the pairing you wanted, but there's always the chance that opinion will tilt my plans.

Thedarkowns1: Thank you for reading this story! Your screenname owns. I also want to thank you for helping me resolve that the sequel should pair up Sakura with Sasuke. In the middle of Dimensional Exchanges, I asked people to vote either for Minoru or Sasuke, and it ended up as a dead tie. You tipped the scale with that last review. Ah, democracy in action. And your reviews were wonderful: even though it was later in writing this story when you began to drop some words, I still liked your comments and suggestions.

catc10: Hello, and thank you for cheering me on! I particularly enjoyed your panicked reviews after cliffhangers. They were so cute! Since they seem to torture you a bit, I'll try to keep them to a minimum in the sequel...

jelly-bean89: You're no help! I'm kidding — I loved your reviews. As for ideas in the sequel, I'll just have to make up something on my own. That's a writers job, you know?

Ashley: I'm so glad to have entertained you all this time. Your reviews are so cute!

Ciastor: Yeah, fanfic specialist! You always keep us on our toes. I can tell that you've read a lot of fanfiction, and it was an honor to be critiqued and complimented by you. Hopefully, you're not mad at me for making Minoru into a 'bad guy', which he actually isn't, but he will prove himself worthy in the sequel. He's complex as an OC, so I'm choosing you as a judge on his character.

HikaruofArrow: You're awesome.

Maya Amano: Well, thank you for your long, LONG support. Your suggestions really helped when I made Sakura's attacks and such. And hopefully, the sequel will suite your tastes.

CrissyKitty: Look! Sakura came back! Just teasing. You were so anxious for me to get her back. I was happy when you kept on saying that; it was just a sign that you were reading this story. Thank you, thank you for reading and commenting.

The Librarian's Assistant: Your screenname is not cutsy, nor vulgar. I love it. Thanks for your wonderful review; that was one of the most heartfelt and sincere reviews I've ever gotten, especially when you're quite picky in what kind of Naruto fanfictions you read.

Blueberry Dalquiri: if you're still reading, I hope you enjoyed the story. I know who you are, and worship your writing — but since you seem to be lying low, I won't reveal your true identity. (I mean, why else did you change your name? Privacy is something nice, and I respect that.)

Grummur: Are you ready to rumble? :grin: Let's see if Minoru can compete with Iro as an original character. For some reason, when I started reading your fanfic, I thought of Iro like Minoru. Both have dark pasts, and strange abilities... Oh, jeez, let's be careful not to make them Mary-Sues, even though they are men. Let's go!

rjsRocketeer: Thanks for the comment about my grammar and spelling, which I take pride in doing carefully! It's hard to find people who appreciate that...

sonydjsnmix: Thank you for reading — it may not seem like it, but I noticed that you were keeping up with the story! Thanks!

phoenix-light: Thank you for that comment... Yeah, that does make sense, now that I think about it. Who knows what Kishimoto meant by that, but your explanation is a lot clearer than mine. If I edit that chapter, as well as the first thirty-some chapters, which are the only ones which accept the brackets for Inner Sakura (SHANNAROOO!), I'll put your interpretation in the notes as well.

LoveLiveLaugh: Well? Okay story? I hope so.

Honolulu: Yes! I was so happy with your review, because I wanted to write the story so that anybody who did not know Wedding Peach could enjoy it anyway! (To tell you the truth, I'm only acquainted with the manga. I don't know how the anime did the story...)

joann: Hope you liked it. :evil laugh: Sorry that I can't pair up Itachi and Hinata for you, but Itachi will show up in the sequel!

Azianhikari: Yeah, Sasuke will get jealous over Sakura in the sequel. It will be extremely funny and interesting.

cat.l.d: Thanks for reading! I know your reviews were few, but I loved them all the same, since you were keeping up with the story.

Pikachu: Oh, how cute, your screenname! I hope the story ended up to your liking.

Chocobaby: I'm glad that this story entertained you for so long. I hope its wording wasn't too complicated at times; this ended up pretty long.

Agent Vash: I love that name, just because it sounds like "vache", the French word for cow! That's so cute!

grace: Yeah, Itachi. He's coming, you rabid fangirl.

Anonymous "reviewer": Yup. Kakashi knows his students. And there's more sasusaku in the future, as I've already said.

Okashira Paige: I updated, as you requested.

Haruchan: I love cliffhangers. Don't you?

Mse: I kept going.

Aik0h: You support me all the way? All right!

JAi0rOKu: Yes, she has returned. Sakura will still have some closeness with Minoru... Well, I can't give you the details.

Silent Angel: Thank you! And I saw your site: it is absolutely gorgeous. It's so touching to see my story there...

weirdnezz279: Why, thank you! I tried my utmost to make this fic original and weird, yet still cool.

MoonSeaEarth: The sasusaku is coming!

aNI-fREaK: You were the one who suggested both sasusaku and minosaku... Well, I sort of made it that way.

aznstarlu: Rejoice and be glad. Sasusaku shall come, although in a different flavor. Thank you for your reading.

Rogue solus: Cool ficcie? Thanks. I'll try to make the next one even cooler.

Destiny1029: Yes, she has returned home.

C.M Aeris Queen of Insanity: You still there? I just want to let you know that the sequel will be more insane.

Yoko: I hope I did Serpentine Rose honor in writing this. It's not as gruesome as her "kamikaze inn" and "three of fates", but it will get somewhat close in the sequel.

chynk: I hope that you enjoyed the story! And yes, you were one of the few ones who could guess that Sakura would meet Sasuke in her dreams.

Samuru-Sa: Did it end okay?

Merffles: Sorry that there were no clear-cut pairings in this fic, but there will be in the sequel. Hope you enjoyed it.

phew: Thanks for your technical input. I hope you liked the magic fighting scenes; you seem the type if you know so much about Shaman King!

Cora: Your view on sasusaku was dead-on. I think that's what makes it all the more interesting. I hope that this story was written okay without a clear pairing; I wanted to keep it kosher, at least for this story.

Jnai: Romance? Coming up.

the gal Ran Kotobuki: Wow, you seemed very passionate about sasusaku...

Cattleya Glory: Thanks for your review; it's awesome to hear people compliment writing. I'll keep up the good work.

SJ: Sakura kicked ass in this story — and she'll do more in the next.

Eadha Ohn: Yes, this was a weird fanfiction. It became even more outrageous as it went on. I hope you had fun reading it!

Zsych: Yup, Sakura grew and matured though her intelligence.

To all readers, thank you for reading this story!


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